WITCHDOCTORS WANT GOVT SPONSORSHIP FOR KWETFWASA

MANZINI – Witchdoctors want government sponsorship for those who want to kwetfwasa.

According to the witchdoctors, they were of the view that government overlooked their existence and contribution to the healing of emaSwati, as it did not include them on issues of health. They said this was testament in that there were no scholarships or sponsorships for those who had a calling and wanted to kwetfwasa. They further want government to amend the Witchcraft Act, which according to them, perceives them as evil people who are ‘unclean’. This was said during the Witchdoctors Association meeting, which was held at the Manzini National Library yesterday.

Witchdoctors Association President Makhanya Makhanya said; “We perform the greatest job of healing people - one that was done since time immemorial, before doctors even existed but we get little recognition.” “Now that they (doctors) have since emerged in the kingdom, they do not seem to regard us at all. They go overseas to pursue degrees and when they return, they do not even have money to buy their own medicine, let alone for constructing their hospitals, but they are sponsored by government and yet we are left out,” the president said.

He elaborated that this was much against the fact that they were the first to heal people. He said government did not even build them one official consultation building where emaSwati could go for help regarding their ailments. According to Makhanya, they regarded this as though they were treated as people with disabilities. He said hospitals charged emaSwati hefty fees whereas they only charged reasonable prices.

The president stated that as emaSwati witchdoctors, they recommended that government should also consider them as an alternative choice when medical doctors failed to work on curing patients. Makhanya said they should be given equal chances so that they could execute their duties and roles as witchdoctors in the country. He said witchdoctors were never found causing chaos or protesting, regardless of how they were overlooked.

“We have seen government making consultations in the modern way and spending huge amounts of money on hospital buildings. We only ask for one thing; that it stops hating on us and calling us dirty by contributing towards witchdoctors,” he implored. Meanwhile, Makhanya mentioned that they would soon consult government, through Parliament, and ask why the country had achieved 54 years of independence but they (witchdoctors) still did not enjoy the fruits of it.

Consult

This would be as soon as they formed their own council, which would consult government on issues affecting them, according to the president. “We are still under the Witchcraft Act by colonisers. We will go there after forming our own council,” Makhanya said. After the meeting, the president confirmed that they formed a council which consisted of 21 members.
Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula could not be reached on his mobile phone for the better part of the day yesterday. The Principal Secretary, Dr Simon Zwane, could not be reached as well.

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