The belief that those who have died can rise supernaturally and become guardians is a concept that exists in most cultures and traditional communities.
How this protection is activated, however, differs from believers to believers. African spirituality, in particular, is a belief system that has come under scrutiny as it is mostly shrouded in secrecy — but the recent wave of sangomas has also raised questions around the practice.
Dr Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala, a cultural and African spirituality expert, unpacks why South Africans are battling with the rise of sangomas, why they too experience pain and grieve even though they have spiritual powers and what encourages the rate of people consulting sangomas.
“There is no bunch of people who are confused like our people ... Are we so desperate? Are we trying to amass the powers of these gods? It’s no longer a belief system — that’s witchcraft,” says Litchfield-Tshabalala.
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