Nokuthula Mncwango of Ladysmith could sing the praises of KwaZulu-Natal traditional healer Mxolisi Nkomonde until the cows come home.
The self-employed mother of one became his patient soon after he opened Dr K Traditional Hospital, the first of its kind, in rural Ingwavuma near the border between South Africa and Swaziland in February.
He treated her for swollen feet and gynaecological complaints.
"I spent four or five days in his hospital and I was taken good care of by his nurses and chefs.
"He did not just feed me umuthi on my arrival, but asked about my medical history first. He also followed up on me after I was discharged. I am now fine and back at work," said Mncwango.
But the inyanga's hospital - which boasts 22 beds, male and female wards, three ambulances, four "traditional" nurses and three chefs - may fall foul of the law because it is not registered with the provincial health department.
Provincial health department spokeswoman Ncumisa Mafunda said the department had not received an application from the facility and no licence had been issued for its operation."People who wish to operate a private hospital must apply for a licence. They will be subjected to an inspection for compliance with the requirements," said Mafunda.
She added that the department works with traditional healers, some of whom perform a critical role in detecting symptoms of diseases such as TB and HIV in their patients, referring them to more conventional healthcare facilities.
Nkomonde - who was reported to have said at the hospital's launch in February that he was in the process of registering it with the department - claimed he did know that he had to do so.
Instead, he said, he decided to register his hospital as a private company with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission.
South African Traditional Healers Council president Sazi Mhlongo said the organisation was not aware of the hospital.
"In actual fact, there is no hospital which will work without being inspected by the health department, which is responsible for ensuring that it meets the required standards," he said.
Nkomonde, known as "Dr Mkhulu" by his patients, said he got the idea of opening a traditional hospital two years ago because many people who could have been cured had died in government hospitals.
"There are many things that do not need Western medicine when a person is sick. For example, umeqo or umbhulelo [illness suffered as a result of bad spells cast using one's footprints]."That type of thing cannot be cured by a doctor who is trained in Western medicine," said Nkomonde.
"So that's why I decided to open a traditional hospital. There are many people who have died in hospitals when they were not supposed to because they were busy with drips and injections when all they needed was just umuthi [traditional herbs]."
Nkomonde said more than 20 patients visited his hospital each day.
"I have asked my patients to make bookings via e-mail but sometimes we end up taking bookings telephonically because some people don't have access to e-mails," he added.
Consultations fees range from R250 to R1,500. The latter fee includes hospitalisation and also covers food, which is mostly traditional Zulu food such as amadumbe (taro), sweet potatoes, vegetables and meat.
Nkomonde said many of his patients suffered from ulcers, cancer, umhlume (tumours) and the dreaded "cauliflower" - a sexually transmitted disease.
"I admit those patients who are really sick. I have traditional nurses who make sure that they take their muthi as required because some people do not take it when they are alone at home."He transfers those patients he thinks need Western medicine to the nearby Mosvold Provincial Hospital in Ingwavuma town.
"If I have to transfer a patient I write a letter to that effect and I have ambulances to transfer them to the hospital," said Nkomonde.
However, Mosvold Hospital's acting CEO, Dr Bernard Mung'omba, said there was no working arrangement between the hospital and the traditional hospital and the hospital had no record of patients referred to it by Nkomonde.
Nkomonde said he had trained his "traditional" nurses himself through his Amakhos'omhlaba Traditional Association, which teaches traditional medicine.
The former gospel artist said he had been an inyanga for six years, learning the practice from his late grandmother.
Nkomonde, who has six wives and nine children, owns more than 20 vehicles, including a Range Rover worth more than R1-million, a Hummer, two Toyota Fortuners and a two-door BMW. He also owns four properties, in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Mpumalanga.
He also runs a supermarket, next to the traditional hospital...