A word on Traditions and Superstitions in South Africa

    Every culture has superstitions and traditions, some more than others.  Some we carry over into modern times as harmless tradition as innocent as having bridesmaids and groomsmen at a wedding to confuse evil spirits. However, in many third world countries around the world and across South Africa it is hard to restrain yourself after seeing and hearing of the brutality and inhumanity that results from “superstition”.   Most black South Africans still subscribe to some sort of ancient tribal belief system that revolves around evil spirits, symbology, and omens.   The forces of natural and unnatural magic are still driving forces in communities and local law. 

    The Zulu for instance believe that most animals that represent power or are in some way unusual hold magic powers.  Every community has a local Witch Doctor or inyanga who performs rituals for healing, driving away evil spirits, or rituals of power and magic.  Because of these beliefs, local people will often poach protected wildlife parks to attain animal parts.  They will use and consume organs, bones, and hides of the animal to absorb that animal’s power. They use leopard, wild dog, lion, hyena, and almost anything that can be interpreted in any way to do anything (it’s all made up so your guess is as good as any). However, they essentially believe that oddities or rare things in nature must have powers.

    A local man used to work at the park as the Lion Monitor. However, he quit 2 weeks in after seeing too many lions.  He said his ancestors had cursed him and that they were sending evil spirits to kill him.

    After a rhino-poaching incident at our park, the Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) or the parks own military and police force received inside information about possible poached animal parts at a local Witch Doctor’s house.  They raided the house the next day and found wild dog and lion pelts, along with wild animal bones and organs he had planed to use for medicine.  This medicine can be for simple colds and fevers to curing aids or removing evil spirits from the soul. Despite the education these people receive, particularly about wildlife, old traditions die slow.  I will not begin to go into traditional Asian medicine that is causing the rhino extinction.

      While I was in Zululand, I noticed many albino people in the black community. In fact more albinos than I have ever seen in my life. On one 2-hour drive, I saw 8 albino men and boys along the way.  I was told the reason for this is because traditionally, small tribes would try to keep their family names and lines pure by inbreeding.  Albinism is generally one of the first traites to appear as a result. Before I said that they believe “oddities” in nature have powers, well it is the same for humans sadly…

    Many albinos today are lucky to be alive in this part of the world, because the Zulu people believe that the albino human also holds great magical powers of long life.  Many albino infants were eaten soon after birth by their families in hopes of gaining their power. Still today many albinos are beaten and taken captive by witch doctors and local people who cut their throats and let them bleed out while people drink the warm blood and then eat the live organs. The belief is that the fresher the greater the power.  Let us not forget that these are people! Many times family members of those trying to gain some sort of imaginary power, driven on by the wisdom and leadership of local witch doctors. 

    Zululand also has the highest prevalence of AIDs in South Africa. Traditional beliefs and religion are again no help. Witch Doctors again prescribe all sorts of animal and human parts as cures. Meanwhile the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, makes statements like a "cold shower" and "sex with a virgin" will cure you of AIDs (Zuma used to lead the World AIDs Council).  This of course led to millions of young men going out and raping women and even young girls of any age to cure themselves.  It is not surprising that AIDs is so prevalent and the number of reported rapes number in the 10s of millions in the country. 

     Some of you may have heard of the South African miners that were shot by police during riots a few months ago.  This story made international headlines as the brutality of the South African Police force was questioned. What was not in the news headlines however was the role traditional medicine had in these events. Many of those miners on the day of the riots had been given hallucinogene drugs and painted with a black tar/blood mix by their local witch doctor who told them they would be INVISIBLE and BULLETPROOF.  It was because of this that they charged local police officers with machetes, fearless of death and convinced they would kill the evil spirits that inhabited the police.

     These are people living today in the 21^st century. These are people who vote, people who are in the military, people bag groceries and run society in this country. Granted not everyone is like this, but most believe their salts worth.  I used to think that the existence of ancient medicine and age-old traditions was a beauty of human diversity, fossils of our past that continued today. However, the past is where these traditions, superstitions, and religions should have stayed. I have been shown that they are an ugly reminder of cruelty and barbarism that comes without education.