Sangomas tussle in court over happy marriage herbs

A Bulawayo Sangoma recently heaved a sigh of relief after he was exonerated of charges of allegedly duping another sangoma by promising to give her herbs to make her marriage a happy one.

Mpumelelo Mkandla (43) had pleaded not guilty to fraud and practicing without a traditional healer's a certificate when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Gladys Mushowe.

He was found not guilty and acquitted after the magistrate ruled that the State had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Charges against Mkandla were that he was approached by the complainant, Priscilla Sijabuliso Maseko, who is also a traditional healer, to solve her marital problems and exorcise her home of evil spirits.

He charged the complainant R15 000, but she only managed to pay $600 and 50 pula for him to perform the rituals. Between December 7 and 22 in 2008, Mkandla performed the rituals at Maseko's home.

However, she was not satisfied with his performance and inquired from the Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers' Association whether Mkandla was a registered practitioner.

She discovered that he was not registered after the association told her that he was not in their records. Traditional healers are supposed to register with Zinatha as required by the law. Maseko made a police report, leading to Mkandla's arrest, but did not manage to recover any money.

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