NZHELELE - Traditional healers were in tears when the coffin of the President of the Congress of Traditional healers in South Africa, Mr Takalani Johannes Mathivha, was lowered into the ground at the Mamvuka cemetery last Saturday.

Mr Mathivha died after a long illness a fortnight ago.

The funeral was attended by a member of the Limpopo Legislature, Dr Alfred Nevhutanda, officials from the Department of Arts and Culture in Limpopo, traditional healers and several councillors from the local municipalities.

A representative of the Council of Traditional Healers of South Africa (Cothosa), Mr Mathera, said Mathivha is regarded as the father of traditional healers. "He put traditional healers on the map in South Africa," he said. A friend, Mr N Gaula, said he learnt many things from Mathivha and he appealed to traditional healers to unite and to follow in Mathivha's footsteps. Mr MV Mphahlele said Mathivha was part of the indigenous development of the University of Venda, and students learnt many things in connection with the utilization of traditional herbs.

Mr Alfred Nevhutanda said that, regardless of being a traditional healer, Mathivha was a member of the African National Congress and the government was happy to see traditional healers participating in the democratic government. He further said that Mathivha was regarded as an important man in SADEC, as he had travelled the African continent extensively with the aim of uniting healers to fight diseases.

Takalane Johannes Mathivha was born in 1948 and attended school at Musekwa High School, where he completed his grade 10 in 1964. In 1965, he upgraded his English with a Damelin course, and pursued a mechanical engineering course at Soshanguve Technical College from 1966 to 1977.

He worked at Colrov Engineering in Johannesburg, a medical depot in Randburg, Gross Construction in Johannesburg and at the SABC from 1977 to 1979. He qualified as a traditional healer in 1971, and practiced full-time from 1980 until his death. He was the founder of Cothosa in 1994, and was elected as the president of this council. He was actively involved in Aids awareness campaigns.

Mathivha is survived by seven children, four grandchildren, his mother, six brothers and two sisters.