"Even during the olden times of our ancestors, traditional healers were the pillars of strength for traditional leadership. Like traditional leadership, one is born to be a traditional healer and real traditional healers do not use body parts to cure people," said Thovhele Kennedy Midiyavhathu Tshivhase during the official launch of the Vhembe Traditional Healers Forum at Mukumbani, on Sunday.

Traditional healers from all corners of Vhembe converged to witness the historic occasion.

The Vhembe Traditional Healers Forum is the brainchild of respected academic and traditional healer Dr Zachariah Ramaliba. The forum aims to preserve traditional healing and preserve medicinal plants that are disappearing on a daily basis. It also aims to promote culture and to promote traditional healing to be recognized like western medical practices.

Thovhele Tshivhase said he was pleased to spend a day with traditional healers. "This shows that they are real traditional healers who do not feel shy to come before me. I now know that we have dedicated traditional healers who are ready to serve people with dignity. Those who are not born traditional healers will never come before me because they know that they were never called by the ancestors to help people."

He said the traditional healers must feel free to consult the Tshivhase dynasty whenever they need assistance. "We cannot work well without your assistance because you help us in preserving our indigenous knowledge systems. We have a duty to be proud of what belongs to us. We now give you permission to go and cure our people. We assure you of our utmost support and hope you will play a role in saving the lives of our people, as instructed by the ancestors and gods."

The forum’s chairperson, Dr Ramaliba, said traditional healers are born with wisdom from the gods and ancestors. "It is wrong to sell the secrets of traditional healing in exchange for money from other nationalities. We aim to preserve the real meaning of traditional healing and that is why we came here before the Tshivhase Kingdom. Real traditional healers work with traditional leaders because we need each other to develop this community."

Those who would like to know more about the forum can call Dr Ramaliba at 072 608 4823.