Gogo Hlophe retires as a traditional healer
This elderly women who is still able to help with home chaos at her age, has also erected about nine tombstones for her beloved family members late last year.
Flanked by her family, friends and her trainee sangomas, Gogo Madecember Lydia Hlophe celebrated her retirement after 43 years as a traditional healer.
On December 24, Gogo Hlophe celebrated her 85th birthday at Emoyeni section.
Gogo Hlophe said she was grateful to all her family members, including the Hlophe, Dlamini, Dlomo and Sondezi clans for being part of her traditional healing journey.
“I know at times it was not an easy journey but with the blessings of these family members, I succeed with the ancestral work and the gift that I have,” said Gogo Hlophe.
Gogo Hlophe said she got a calling from amadlozi (ancestors) in 1973, who directed her to take the calling as a traditional healer and focus on accepting the calling.
“I then went to the ritual initiation of Indlozi at Komatipoort in Mpumalanga Province. My stay at Komatipoort lasted for a year, after which I returned to my family at Bevelspruit in Pretoria. On returning home I worked from my family home and helped people around the Pretoria and Brits townships. Given some challenges that I had at our family house, I then relocated to Emoyeni Section in Tembisa where I had a number of people coming for healing while others came for ancestral calling training. As I settled in Tembisa I received countless calls to do traditional initiation rituals for amathwasa from as far as KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Free State and Mpumalanga,” said Gogo Hlophe.
She said her ancestors directed her to Hammansdale in KZN where she had to perform traditional healing rituals and extend her knowledge of healing people.
“Later I was directed to the Hlophe family in Harrismith where on my arrival I performed a traditional family acceptance ceremony. This family was the great-great grand family of Hlophe. On returning to Tembisa, the ancestors again directed me to travel back to the Msinga family where I met the Ximba family. It was at this time that I met my uncles who made a ceremonial ritual on accepting me to the family. I am grateful that all of these traditional ritual ceremonies were successful,” said Gogo Hlophe.
The mother of three girls said her journey as a traditional healer has seen her climb a lot of mountains around the country and travel to distant places.
She said she even travelled as far as Robben Island.
