Traditional healers feel humiliated by Christian pastors
Traditional healers want government to issue a law which forbids Christian pastors from mentioning them in their sermons
LIMPOPO – The organisation of traditional healers in the Mopani District say Christian pastors should refrain from talking about them and their practices during church services.
“Whenever they run out of something to say during their sermons, they criticise us, calling us all sorts of names in front of their congregation as if what we do is the work of the devil the himself,” said Yvonne Matukane, a traditional healer and representative of traditional healers in the area.
Matukane made this statement at the Giyani Multipurpose Centre on Friday where traditional healers of the Mopani District gathered to discuss a number of issues that concern them.
“We want the government to establish laws that forbid pastors from preaching about traditional healers and calling them witches at church,” Matukane continued, saying: “If they want to preach, let them preach about what is said in the Bible and not about traditional healers,” she said.
She urged traditional healers in all five municipalities in Mopani to forward their grievances to her and she will hand them over to the Mopani ANC Regional Secretary, Baskop Makamu, for consideration.
“He has mandated me to write down everyone’s grievances and give them to him. He will then discuss the matter with other stakeholders of the ANC”. She further said the list should be compiled as soon as possible while they still have the chance to influence the government.
“We must hurry up and submit this information before the end of next month, if we wait too long and the political climate changes, we may not be able to have our needs addressed,” she concluded.
thoko@nmgroup.co.za
