What is witchcraft?

August 27th, 2011 KeMoAforika

What is witchcraft?

Witchcraft in South Africa is a large part of daily life – what is witchcraft – in Africa is is a complex mixture of western religion, traditional African beliefs (from Sangoams and witch doctors) and, I am sad to say, criminal elements – I say this because if you do a search on witches or love spells or money spells – you will see hundreds of links to Traditional healers and self professed Sangomas. They claim to be able to heal any ailment from aids to a screwed up love life. Lost love spells seem to top the list. Not to mention that the poor old tokolohes seem to bear the brunt of any bad luck – deserved or not. Seems to me that tokoloshes are the biggest victims – easier to blame all our shit on the Tokoloshe.

How many of these Sangomas have gone through proper training, and how many healers are actually healers rather than con men. Soccer teams, gangsters and mothers all seek the help of Sangomas and traditional healers – lost love spells, money spells, spells against bullets and spells to make your penis larger. One has to wonder at the gullibility of our African people – in saying that – an international search for witches and spells will bring up a huge number of information about witches and witchcraft – how to be a witch? witchcraft school online? witchcraft beliefs? How to witchcraft? sorcery? Seems that the rest of the world is equally enamoured with the occult and how to manipulate people and objects. Maybe everyone wants to be a sorcerer’s apprentice – Sangoma rituals is a very popular subject – perhaps this is just curiosity – but somehow I doubt it!

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New Poultry Forum for South African chicken farmers

July 29th, 2011 KeMoAforika

A new Poultry Forum for South African chicken farmers has gone live on the www.africanpoultryfarming.co.za site. It is a great place to speak to other small poultry farmers in South Africa. It is free to register and there seem to be knowledgeable users answering all sorts of questions about chicken houses and chicken farming in South Africa. It is a discussion board about poultry farming for small chicken farmers and emerging poultry farmers. It looks like they are trying to set up a group buying thingee for smaller farmers. There is also a discussion going on about government loans for chicken farmers. Chicken farming and poultry farming is growing in South Africa – especially small chicken farms. The poultry forum or chicken forum is a perfect place to discuss poultry farming and find poultry information.

 

chicken farming,, poultry farming, small chicken farms, poultry forum, chicken forum, discuss poultry farming, poultry information,

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We are all born in Africa

January 17th, 2011 Mlungu
picture of Together black and white working

Together

In the beginning we all came from Africa. Or so says DNA technology. This is quite a thing to deal with, and one I am sure, will displease many people. People who like to think that they are the “chosen ones” They come in all forms – business, religion, and a lot of the time, your neighbour. Differences in culture do not help – A powerful sangoma who promotes togetherness can have a huge influence on black and white relations – as can crooked politicians use out cultural difference to grow his power.

 Me, I am quite happy about it. Levels us all off and makes us one family – which is what the sages have been saying for millennia. We are all interconnected as we scurry around in a world which demands attention. A pity, because the attention on  the scurrying causes us to miss part of what the world is all about.

The gift of being able to be an interconnected human being and an individual is fantastic. Free will for myself, and group will, to shape the planet and the human race. Wow. Racism and separtaeness will, I think, always be a part of the human struggle – in a way it is not a bad thing, the idear that we celebrate our differences is great – I love the fact that there are so many races and cultures – once we lose our fear of being different, and our fear of others who are different, racism can be included as a positve element – postive racism – something to look forward to. In Africa, particularly, witchcraft and ancient beliefs help to cement negative difference, and often give unscrupulous leaders the ammunition and the means to promote difference in a negative way. The absolute belief in the evil side of the other world, and spirit world, allows for the manipulation of the masses. It is a pity that leaders, who are mostly eductated, use these beliefs to further there own power base.

To all of those who were born in Africa, welcome. Leave us your thoughts and musings.Tell us what you think about racism, about witchcraft and African customs – whether a powerful sangoma promoting spells and witchcraft helps South Africa or not.

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Caring for old parents

January 8th, 2011 Mlungu

What a screwed up world we live in! Have you noticed that in many families the caring for old parents always falls on one or two siblings?

Almost without fail there is a sibling in the family who does bugger all to help and care for the aged parent. They are always too busy, have no money to help and generally shirk their responsibility.

When they are asked to help they always have a pained, oh poor me, expression and response.

Well I say screw you brother or sister. Why is it my responsibilityalone to care for Mom or Dad – why is the time and cost not shared equally? And in many cases the selfish sibling is wealthier than the rest – like they are too important and busy. I wonder if it happens in Black communities? – Maybe ubuntu sorts that out!

Man I hate that.

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Makoti – new wife to be.

December 5th, 2010 KeMoAforika

When you bring a woman to your mother and fathers house for the night there are certain African customs that must be followed. If the woman is just your girlfriend she must leave the house before it gets light. If she is to be you wife she must rise at first light and begin to work. She is now responsible for cleaning and sweeping the yard. She is to wash all the dishes and pots. She is to sweep the house and do all the chores that her mother in law to be would be doing. This includes fetching water (sometimes very far from the house) collecting wood and tending to the young ones needs. This work will often go on until after lunch.

She will told what to do by anyone older than her. Many young men who wish to get married will rather wait until they have their own house – as this custom brings with it many challenges and conflicts.Originally this custom had many good qualities. It allowed the family to get to know the new wife to be. Whilst doing the chores the Mam (Mother) could speak with her and gauge her suitability and qualities. If the girl does not do her chores properly Mam will say nothing to the girl or the rest of the family. She will wait until she is alone with her son, and will then tell him what she thinks of the girl. The girl will know if the family likes her as they will help, talk and joke. If the family does not like her, or she is cheeky and full of nonsense,  she will be left to do all the chores alone, whilst the family makes more and more mess for her to clean up.

The first time you bring a girl home the son will need to speak with his father first and then his Mam. The son will bring the girl home during the night – with a new broom, which he will keep in his room. The couple will spend the night together and at first light the girl will rise and begin to sweep the yard with the new broom. Mam and Father will the act surprised, asking “who is sweeping, who is this girl?”. The son will often stay in his room until his new wife to be has finished all the chores. (mostly because he is embarrassed by how his girl gets treated)

Often, in the modern world, this custom is abused, relegating the girl to slave status in a power play between mother and daughter in law to be. This custom is practised by almost all African Cultures. In the townships, close to the big cities this custom has faded away – and is only practised in rural Africa – the woman who practise the old customs and traditions are known as “home girls” African culture and African customs around marriage custom and wedding customs are great – they instil the older values of family and ubuntu – although some of them, I suspect , are outdated and are not really woman orientated.

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Children on our Roads

December 4th, 2010 Mlungu

Children present truckers and drivers with a real challenge. If you are driving around the time schools start or finish it is likely you will see scenes like this.

Watch out for children!

Schools out

These kids are happy to be out of school but are paying no attention to what is around them – the speed limit on this road is 120km/hour. At this speed there is no chance if a kid steps out.

Speed limit 120 - kids on road.

Speed limit 120 - kids on road.

In some cases the verge is non existent – the children are literally in the road.

These kids are walking up to 15km’s to get to school and back – that means that the are in the road for several hours every day. There is no way that they are aware of the risks around them for this time. Read the rest of this entry »

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Newborns thrown against the wall.

December 1st, 2010 KeMoAforika

Many mothers go home to give birth. The mother does not go to hospital, but has the baby in their grandmothers house. In some cases there is a sinister reason for this.

In families that have sangomas or witches, the mother is watched to see the gift that the new child has. During the mothers pregnancy the sangoma will closely follow the progress of the mother and child. When it is time for the delivery of the child, the mother goes to the grandmothers house where only sangomas are allowed.

The child is born. The sangoma holds the new born in a special way, trying to determine the gift, or power that the newborn has. The child is then thrown to the wall. If the newborn has the gift, he or she is able to cling to the wall. If not the baby will drop to the floor, usually dead, from the impact. The mother and family is then told that the child died in child birth.

Sounds like murder to me! Sangomas also help deal with the tokaloshe using muti

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Do not sweep at night!

December 1st, 2010 KeMoAforika

The Tswana people, amongst others, believe that sweeping your house or yard at night will attract witches. It is a very strong belief and is prevalent throughout South Africa. If you sweep at night the witch will easily use your broom to ride on. (Although a witch can even ride on a slice of bread or anything else)

Every day – morning and afternoon, the house and yard are swept. Cleanliness is one reason, but the driving reason is to wipe all tracks from the yard. This means that in the morning you will be able to see if the tokoloshie or a witch or a totsie (criminal) has been on your property.

The belief by many Africans in witchcraft drives and controls their lives. Every aspect of their lives is acted out with witchcraft in mind. If something goes wrong it is the tokoloshe – or the ancestors calling for a sacrifice. If something is needed – a spell will be sought out from the local sorcerer. Need love in your life – a love spell by a powerful witch is the answer – need money – try a lotto spell – every possible part of life can be controlled with spell and witchcraft. Revenge spells, spell to help stop bullets, spells that will make you score goals – and so it goes on. Of course all of these spells need money – got to pay the witch doctor or isangoma – and it is a thriving online business.

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Metro Police in Diepsloot – Crooked

November 27th, 2010 Mlungu

If you have an accident with a taxi anywhere in the northern suburbs – watch out for the metro police. You will notice that they get to the scene in double quick time if there is a taxi involved. The reason for this is that the taxi driver called them.

taxi accident

Reckless Taxi Driver

In a recent accident in four ways, a taxi ran a red light and collided with a turning car. The police were on the scene within minutes. Statements were taken. The driver of the taxi, a Zimbabwean with no S.A. ID, showed his international drivers license. The scene was then cleared after the ambulance had taken the driver of the car to hospital.
The trouble started when the details on the accident report were checked. The registration of the taxi was incorrectly recorded.
The con works like this. Taxi has an accident, Metro police are called by the owner/driver. Police take statements but do not record the correct details of the taxi and the driver. The result is that everything gets tossed out of court when you try and claim. Read the rest of this entry »

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Another Scam in the government poultry sector

November 21st, 2010 KeMoAforika

Seems the poultry industry and government are rife with scams. The latest is going around to rural folk and organising government funding for small chicken houses. The way this one works is you find yourself some illiterate rural folk – offer them a poultry house for free, collect ID numbers etc, and then apply for government funding on their behalf.

3m x 6m chicken house in Natal

The project is in rural KwaZulu Natal – Ntikiza. Nthamalala. 9 ladies were approached by a person saying that he would give them a free chicken structure, and the first batch of feed and day old chicks. They gave him their ID details and this guy got a grant for them – R18000 each. Read the rest of this entry »

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