Speaker calls for awareness on spiritual, mental health and social stigmatisation in communities
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The Speaker of Council, Cllr Nonceba Molwele, last night discussed spiritual, mental and social stigmatisation on her weekly talk show known as Talk with the Speaker of Council that takes place on Wednesdays.
It has become very important that communities are constantly made aware of this illness which often has tragic consequences because of lack of understanding of what is it, symptoms it manifests and the support needed for the person.
Above all, Madam Speaker hopes to create acceptance so that those who live with this illness feel supported. It is for this reason that I want to probe further around this subject and in particular bring in the element of spirituality as it relates to mental health.
Traditional healers zoom in on new ways of practice
In the next few weeks, traditional healers will form part of the country’s most significant adult vaccination programme. The past year, however, has forced traditional healers in South Africa to adapt, cope with losing work and perform rituals online.
Celuxolo Stewart, known as Gogo Simenjalo, lights a bundle of impepho and lays out two mats several metres apart in her suburban Johannesburg garden. She says she enjoys being so close to nature now that her spiritual consultations have moved from her traditional indumba room to under the trees.
“I love working in the garden. If our ancestors allow, it’s something that I will keep doing going forward.”
In South Africa, COVID-19 Pits Traditional Medicine Against Clinical Trial Rules 31/12/2020
In June,
Artemisia afra was in high demand on the streets of Johannesburg in South Africa. To treat COVID-19 symptoms, the Indigenous herb’s silvery leaves were for sale at roadside vendors and in the city’s popular traditional markets. Some people even pulled the plant from private gardens. And on the sides of nearby highways, people held signs for “mhlonyane” (
A. afra’s isiZulu name) and offered bushels to passing motorists like bouquets. Between February and July, the herb doubled in price.
People in the region have consumed the bitter plant for centuries to treat illnesses from colds to intestinal worms. With deaths rising as South Africa battled its first COVID-19 wave, people have turned to