Traditional healers get heads-up about patient treatment

Mamelodi traditional healers have been warned not to treat their students and patients like they own them.

The healers were attending a workshop at Stanza Bopape library in Mamelodi East last week.

The workshop was also attended by the department of community safety.

Workshop facilitator Smangele Sikebhele said trainers travelled throughout the country teaching traditional healers about their role in society and how they should treat their students and patients.

“Traditional healers are not supposed to abuse their students and ill-treat them because they are not there to be their workers, but they are there to honour their ancestors’ calling,” said Sikebhele.

There have been cases reported of traditional healers ill-treating their students and patients, she said adding that should this be reported to the traditional healers’ organisation, action could be taken.

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The organisation was there to protect the rights of healers “and if there is a traditional healer who has done wrong, they must be punished by the organisation”.

“I’m very happy that traditional healers listened to our advice at the workshop,” said Sikebhele.

She said traditional healers known as Gobelas should know that students were like patients who must be treated well.

“They must not treat them like slaves and make them cook, clean and wash their laundry.

“The traditional healers must keep their consultation rooms clean, prepare their traditional medicine in clean pots, and their traditional medicine must be clean as well.”

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“Most important, they must not give patients medicine that has expired.”

Virginia Tleane of the department of community safety said the traditional healers must work together with the community, local clinics, police and ward councillors.

“The department is willing to work together with the organisation and assist them whenever they can,” she said.

The traditional healers received booklets and certificates to practice their work in the community.

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