By: Lerato Mutlanyane

It is common knowledge that traditional healers play a very important role in our society. Through their spiritual gifts and distinct knowledge of cultural herbal remedies, they have, for centuries, been providers of holistic care that encompasses physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

In line with global technological advancements, traditional healers have increasingly turned to social media platforms to grow their reach and recruit new customers.

While the idea of incorporating technology into the traditional healing trade is future-forward, it has also presented an opportunity for bogus traditional healers to run scams and swindle desperate ‘clients’ out of their hard-earned money.

Authorities within the traditional healing space, as well as law enforcement, have been grappling with this growing problem of bogus traditional healers swindling clients on social media.

Given the difficulties of verifying whether a traditional healer is legitimate or not and whether their remedies do indeed work, posers often get away with traditional healing scams that target desperate and vulnerable individuals.

One popular social media ‘healer’ is Gauteng-based Zimbabwean @imflowo1, who is renowned for her variety of urine-infused remedies.

With over 1.6 million followers on her platform, this practitioner occasionally recommends that they use concoctions as facewash, love potions, household cleaning products, or to attract wealth by applying it on money, amongst other extraordinary things. Some of her methods include using simple household items such as lemons, table salt and water, to name a few.

Her prominence has seen her also sell a series of her own products at her walk-in stores in Johannesburg and central Pretoria, and also on her social media platforms.

Although @imflowo1’s methods and remedies have not been verified as legitimate by the relevant authorities, she surprisingly boasts some good reviews for her products and remedies.

“As for me, I do not want to say much, but trust me, they work,” said one of her followers named Beckey on TikTok.

Several active and registered traditional healers believe that the richness and cultural significance of traditional healing should still be protected, given the prevalence of bogus healers on social media.

“The spiritual realm is deeply rooted. It’s about connecting or channelling work through spirits and providing insights to different challenges that individuals are facing – what’s working for other people might not work for you, you might have been told to drench in salt water that might temporarily work, but won’t make your problems go away because it’s just surface advice,” says Selloane Motaung, who is also a young traditional healer.

“These people are just doing it for money and a good social media following,” she adds.

Journal News also reached out to Mabodiba Thabana, a traditional healer who has 405 000 followers on Facebook, for comment, but she had not responded at the time of publishing this article.

Meanwhile, the president of the African Traditional Healers Organisation (ATHO), Dr. Orphan Oupa Moneoe, confirmed that this issue of bogus online practitioners had been quite prevalent.

“This has been ongoing for years, and people are derailing from the purpose of what traditional healing is - it is not conserved at all.

“People should refrain from falling into these traps. I would advise that people consult with registered healers so that when they fall victim, they can track back names, which organisation or traditional body they fall under, so that a formal complaint can be lodged and a case can be opened.

“These people need to be dealt with accordingly,” Moneoe concluded.