'Now we get opportunities' — Gogo Manzini speaks about the evolution of ubungoma

The journey of queer healer Gogo Manzini as a sangoma is a testament to the diverse tapestry of South Africa's heritage, transcending conventional boundaries and highlighting the importance of inclusivity in preserving the nation's traditions.

The prominence of ubungoma on television, and social media platforms, depicts what it means to be a sangoma in modern times. 

“As time evolves, things change. It's wonderful, especially that we are now in a space of embracing it and coming forward about it and not holding it back. Now we get opportunities. Back in the day, it was hidden which made it taboo or made people fear us,” Manzini told TshisaLIVE

“Now people fully understand there is nothing bad about it. You can still be a traditional healer and wear your nails. You can still be a traditional healer and wear your heels.”

On her YouTube channel, Gogo Manzini discusses money rituals, the power of faith, and the importance of cleansings among many other topics. 

“I want to educate people about things that are happening through my YouTube channel. There are things that are happening behind the scenes that people should not know about, but there's a lot of education that we should be giving to people.”

Dr Zukiswa “Mkhulu Majola” Mvoko of the African National Healers Association told TshisaLIVE broadcasting about ubungoma jeopardised its authenticity. 

“I'm not happy with the way media has broadcast the lives of sangomas. It reflects negatively on the originality of ubungoma and African healers at large. It is causing more confusion and more segregation among us as blacks, and to those who are finding their way or themselves and who they are with regards to [their] spirituality,”

Renowned for her unique approach to healing with honey-producing bees, Manzini says she was instructed to include bees in her “customer and money attraction” rituals. 

“Bees were dangerous to me, but my bees are not harmful. They roam around. Send them where I want them to go. They are more for customer attraction rituals. The honey which is produced by the bees we use as medicine when someone is sick, as well as money rituals when we use it from the bees,

“We need to be honest with people. With money rituals, you need to have something that you are doing. You cannot be employed and want to do money-attraction rituals when you know you have a fixed income. Unless there is something you are doing, which is a business that needs customer attraction. There's no money that comes from heaven.” 

There has been a surge of celebrities becoming traditional healers. Actor Thabiso Mokhethi sparked a debate on social media in early September with a public resignation from ubungoma to pursue the ministry. 

Manzini, who had to wait for a dream to confirm her calling, said being a sangoma was not something one could easily walk away from. 

“You need to go where your ancestors want you to be. If you have a real calling you cannot run away from it. Tell people the truth. People's lives become miserable and think becoming a sangoma will help them, and when it doesn't help them they come back and say they are changing. It's a calling, it's not a decision.”