access to information. The digital platform has also been a tool
that has challenged my thinking and my way of seeing things.
I’ve asked myself questions on how certain things are applicable
in the 21st century because we’re evolving beings.”
Mngoma agrees that social media has been very effective in
not just showing her make-up and brows on fleek, but teaching
people about culture. “I believe that as a black society we have
turned our backs on our cultures and African identity, and what
better way to reach and teach as many people than through
these platforms?”
Letoya, who has more than 100 000 followers on Twitter,
adds that a lot of her fans, who mainly reach out to her through
social media, have truly embraced her and her calling and still
call for help and advice.
You might think technology has been taken to the extreme as
some people really consult a sangoma through digital platforms.
Mngoma once told another publication that her clients are mostly
young and busy women who prefer the convenience of digital
consultations. She further added that some women preferred to
e-mail, WhatsApp or send direct messages on Instagram. And
yes, she guaranteed that her accuracy in digital consultations
was just as effective as when she met her clients face-to-face.
“I have since stopped that route though due to the high volume
of clients I deal with daily,” she says.
Letoya, on the other hand, has never agreed with this form
of contact and laments that technology is trying to take away
the true essence of this practice.LIFESTYLE VS TRUE CALLING
Who can forget entertainer, Scoop Makhatini’s tweet earlier
this year that read, “All of a sudden Tom, D*ck and Thandi is
having a calling...I’m just gonna relax and watch the liars play
themselves out. The ancestral lashing will be unavoidable...
Yonke into bafuna ukuyendza ‘fashion’ (they want to make
everything trend).”
While this brought various social media debates to the fore,
one can’t help but wonder if there was any truth to Scoop
Makhathini’s question. “I believe some are using this calling
for fame and to add glamour to it,” Letoya adds. “You need to
be in line with your calling and truly believe. At first, a lot of my
fans didn’t understand what I was all about until I spoke about
it frequently on various media platforms.”
Mngoma adds that her journey into being a sangoma was
predestined from an early age as she could interpret dreams and
even sleep-walk. “I know that there are people who judge me
for my looks and lifestyle and think I might be joking, but this
spirit of healing that lives within me amazes me too.”
This glam dlozi frowns upon the fact that in this day and age,
many people reduce this calling to a bogus business opportunity
at the expense of people who really need help. “Your ancestors
will guide you through dreams and signs if you’re truly called. No
glam dlozi will initiate you or should draw you in because of how
they look. A true calling comes from within and your ancestors
will lead you to the right person to help you in your journey.” ■
* Not her real nameWWW.TRUELOVE.CO.ZA (^) |^2019 OCTOBER (^) | (^87)
SPECIAL REPORT
IMAGES Gallo Images/Getty Images, Instagram