‘Herbs are for sickness, not witchcraft’: Gardee slams Gogo Maweni’s love potion advert

Former EFF MP Godrich Gardee has criticised a love potion advert by Makgotso Lee-Anne Mokopo, known as Gogo Maweni, claiming she is misrepresenting the purpose of African traditional medicines.    

In the advert shared on social media, the star of Izangoma Zodumo and owner of a herbal shop guaranteed the love potion would make a man behave "like a puppet".

Mokopo also advertised a product called isidliso sangaphansi (potion used on private parts), saying the herb ensures a man does not get an erection with anybody other than the person who used the herb on him.

Gardee challenged Mokopo's claims, saying she was misrepresenting African traditional healing medicines.

“Herbs are for sickness and not witchcraft. It is scam to present herbs as magic for luck or to stop bullets entering your body or a love potion. Such misrepresentation perpetuates stereotypes and adverse narratives against traditional healing. This is fraud,” he said.    

Hitting back, Mokopo said: “When you’ve studied your craft in depth, you don’t argue with people who dabble in your field of expertise as a hobby.”  

Nkhensani Tembe, who has been a traditional healer for about 20 years and earned professorship with Mhlabuhlangene school of medicine in KwaZulu- Natal, told TshisaLIVE love potions pose a danger to people’s health.  

“The potions have been existing for a long time and their purpose is not healing. They pose dangers to body organs and people who use them on their private parts can develop diseases such as cancer over time.

“A woman who puts isidliso in her private part or a man using this on a woman affects the fibroids and other parts of the woman’s womb. In some cases, medical doctors diagnose a person who was negatively affected by the herbs with an infection, but traditional healers would see the root of this,” she said.

Tembe said while potions may not have a sudden impact on a person, they can lead to deterioration of health.  

“I get clients negatively affected by the potion. Some men suffer from prostate cancer because of this. With love potions, it affects the liver in some people and a person can develop acidic-related illnesses. Some start being picky with food because certain types of foods affect their liver that has developed wounds.

“Some people die from those things, eventually you become a killer. It is witchcraft, these things are a misrepresentation of African healing. We do not heal like that.” 

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