Ms Sarah Ramodolela, a supervising cleaning forewoman at the University of Venda (Univen), has been nominated for the Shoprite SABC 2 Woman of the Year award for her vast knowledge of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and traditional medicinal plants.

She is a practicing herbalist and her knowledge continues to inspire scholarship, research and innovation in the specific field of IKS at the University of Venda. Affectionately called Mazwale, or mother-in-law, she has contributed generously in the area of health and education to the Univen community. She is a custodian of indigenous knowledge who has never claimed supernatural powers other than what she has learned from her maternal grandmother about medicinal plants. She aims to help produce textbooks on her knowledge and is encouraged by Government's initiatives to acknowledge and grow scholarships in IKS.

Born 61 years ago in the rural village of Duthuni, outside Thohoyandou, Sarah has been a herbalist for the past 24 years. She inherited the knowledge from her late grandmother, Masindi who passed away in the late 70s. She has established a herbal garden at her home where she plants the herbs which she uses to cure her clients. She has also highly contributed in the academic development of the country since she assisted countless students to conduct research through her herbal knowledge. She is also the custodian of Venda culture as she is the chief guide of girls when they graduate from initiation schools.

She says it is an honour for her to be nominated for the award and hopes to make it to the top. “I never thought an unknown rural woman like myself would one day be recognized like this. There is nothing more interesting than being honoured by your own people when you are still alive. I will definitely make it to the top because I believe in myself.”

Our interview was constantly interrupted by community members who wanted herbal assistance or scholars who came for their research. Some of them came from as far as Durban, Bloemfontein and Cape Town.

She says the secrets of her success are dedication, hard work and her love to save life. “A nation without culture is lost and that is why I put my efforts into preserving the indigenous knowledge of our ancestors. Most people have taken to the western way of life and deserted what belongs to them. There is a need to preserve our indigenous knowledge for the sake of our coming gen-erations.”

If she is not treating people with her herbs or helping students with research, Sarah spends most her time with teenage girls from initiation schools, guiding them on the secrets of life. She explains why she decided to establish her own herbal garden at home: “These herbs are indigenous and they need to be preserved. I do not mix them with western medication when I prepare them because, raw as they are, they are very powerful. I realized that most community members do not know these herbs and they are destroying them in the bushes. It came to my mind that I might not be able to practice my herbal venture in 10 years’ time because there would no longer be herbs around.” She refused to give the names and usages of the herbs in her garden. “My culture does not allow me to give out the names or to mention how I mix them. My ancestors will be angry with me if I disclose what each herb is used for.”

Sarah said there is little fortune in her practice. “The most important thing is to help community members but there is little fortune that supplements my income as a cleaner at the University of Venda. I don’t charge a specific fee, but those who have been healed shower me with gifts which includes money and personal property.” She does not regard herself as a traditional healer, because she does not throw bones. She says her powerful herbs have successfully assisted those who do not have kids to conceive. She added that she can also cure different illnesses that bother small kids.

“I also specialize in sexually transmitted diseases for both men and women. Through my herbs, I can also revive men who are dead in bed.” Married to Richard with six kids, Sarah says she uses both roots, barks and leaves of certain plants to prepare her herbs. “I would pick them up and dry them in the sun for some few days.”

She says it is important to for herbalists to live in modern times. “I make sure that I observe the highest hygienic standards because people need to get healthy medication. Unlike those olden days where herbalists were regarded as unclean people who used dirty herbs, I have done much to adapt my practice to modern times.” She condemns healers who use body parts to cure people. “These are evil people who kill poor, innocent community members for their own selfish gains. Human flesh has never been regarded as medication. They must learn and understand that only natural herbs can cure people, not human body parts as they believe.”

She plans to open up a herbal school in her yard when she retires so that she can teach the young generation how to use herbs effectively. She also need assistance to publish her own herbal textbook to preserve her knowledge.