‘This cannot be allowed to continue. It must stop, now!’
These were the messages of three leading voices in KZN conservation and traditional medicine following the recent poisoning of 37 white-backed vultures in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP).
They agreed that there is an urgent need to provide a formal register of all ‘genuine’ traditional healers (Izinyanga) in KZN and all district municipalities must pay attention to this.
In a joint statement titled ‘The Destruction of Wildlife Must Stop’, Dr Bandile Mkhize, CEO of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (‘Ezemvelo’), Sazi Mhlongo, head of the National Association of Traditional Healers and Timothy Ngubane, Chairperson of KZN’s Traditional Health Practitioners, collectively stated that such a registered database of Izinyanga would help control and formalise the ‘muti’ industry.
‘As it stands now, many collectors and harvesters of muti are just raping our natural heritage.
‘It’s a money-making racket where people are posing as Izinyanga while making a quick buck.
‘It’s a frightening scenario as there appears to be no control over their activities,’ said Ngubane, who is also the Chairman of the uMkhanyakude Izinyanga.
He also warned people of the real dangers in ingesting poisoned vulture parts as these were infected with lethal chemicals such as Temik.
Ngubane added that he didn’t want to place all the blame on bona fide Izinyanga for what he called the ‘continuing decimation of wildlife and indigenous trees and plants in KZN by false prophets’.
‘No, what we have here are other scavengers who are selling traditional Zulu customs down the drain.’
False prophets
Sazi Mhlongo, a traditional healer and member of Ezemvelo’s Board, said that ‘considerable falsehoods’ were attached to the properties that wildlife parts played in traditional ‘muti’.
‘Because vultures have exceptional eyesight and are highly efficient in finding carrion, people are told that by eating their heads and hearts they will become cleverer and these parts are subsequently used to help people pass exams, for example. This is crazy.
‘They are destroying our natural heritage and threatening the balance of nature,’ Mhlongo said.
He urged people to appreciate that if traditional medicine in the form of wildlife parts continues being exploited at the rate it is, they, Izinyanga and these ‘bogus healers’ will be responsible for the collapse in numbers – and likely extinction – of various species, such as vultures.
‘This is not only destructive of God’s creatures, but importantly will have a big impact on our tourism industry and the jobs created around it,’ said Mhlongo.-
He agreed with Ngubane that a registered database of traditional Izinyanga must be compiled.
PHOTO: twearth.com
