This Is What a Millennial Sangoma Looks Like

Almost 60% of South Africans Consult Sangomas, and It’s Estimated That There Are Eight Times More Traditional Healers Than Westerntrained Doctors in South Africa. But What Does This Ancient Practice Look Like in 2017? It’s Taken a Decidedly Digital Turn…

- Sarah Browning-De Villiers

Bright-pink acrylic nails? Check. Gucci handbag? Check. Brows on fleek? Check. Kwenzekile Mngoma, 29, is ready for work (and her Instagram #selfie).

Except she’s not heading to a corporate office or a hipster coffee shop. She’s walking to a thatched-roof indumba (hut) behind her home in Durban. There she will spend the day holding a very modern mix of in person, FaceTime, e-mail, WhatsApp and InstagramDM sessions with clients.

They’re seeking her advice, her counsel and her calling: she is an izinyanga (a herbalist sangoma), and she’s practising the age-old tradition in a very 2017 way.

‘Most of my clients are women in their 20s. They see me on Instagram, follow my lifestyle and pics, and see that I’m real and relatable and young, and that makes me relevant to them,’ says Mngoma. ‘Being able to form relationships with clients, for them to trust you and confide in you, is key. I offer counsel and guidance, not just treatments, cleanses and future readings. How you relate to a sangoma is vital – and that’s where social media is important for me. You can see into my life and understand who I am.’

Mngoma’s modern-day spiritual consultations don’t require you to go to her home.

Just as we’ve all adapted to working remotely and being always ‘on’, so has she. ‘My clients are mostly young, busy women like me, so they appreciate the convenience of digital consultations. Some women prefer to e-mail me, others choose WhatsApp or direct messaging on Instagram. I also do consultations on FaceTime or on the phone.