By Asnath Morethe
Nosiphiwo Masikane (25) also known as Gogo Manzini is a newly qualified sangoma originally from KwaMashu in KwaZulu-Natal but currently living in Pretoria North where she moved to pursue her dreams.
Growing up, Masikane used to consult traditional healers who all told her that her gift of healing people would show up later in life. She was still young and did not think of it that much. “I was ignorant” she says.
As years went by, she started realising that what the traditional healers said was true. She would constantly dream of scary things such as, water following her, snakes biting her and experience very painful headaches. Her helper, who is also a spiritual person, would tell her that she has a gift.
Masikane says that she got directed to her spiritual mentor through a high school friend that she dreamt of and who is also a sangoma.
“In most cases you won’t dream of where you should go. You can also dream of someone who will direct you to where you should go. For me I dreamt of a direction.”
She began training as a sangoma in December 2020, in Winterveld Pretoria and graduated June 26, 2021.
Masikane told ThisAbility that at first, she feared how she was going cope but to her surprise everything turned out just fine. “It was the fear of the unknown because I never knew what I was going to go through throughout my training.” she said.
Her sister Fikile Masikane (29) also says that she was a little bit apprehensive and scared because she did not know what was going to happen to her younger sister when she followed her journey.
Masikane who has scoliosis, a medical condition that causes a sideways curvature of the spine, says that her disability was not a challenge during the training because she was treated normally by her spiritual mentor and other trainees.
In response to that, her mentor, Baba Ntsimbi, says that Masikane was just the same as other trainees and did everything that the training required.
Masikane has done more than 10 consultations online and in person since she qualified. All her consultations start from R200. She can be found on Instagram @Gogomanzinispeaks.
On her page, she shares her experiences, dream interpretations, consultation rules, her availability and sells soap and butter used to purify and calm spirits and to chase away bad energy.
Masikane is one of the founders of Ladies On Wheels, an NPO that seeks to change the narrative about disabled women by showing their strengths and that their disabilities are not an inconvenience. She is the founder of ZAHI cosmetics, a beauty and skin care business and is the co-founder of a cleaning company called Isipho Cleaning Services.
In an interview on Dr Dumakude TV (YouTube channel) with Dr Siyamthanda Dumakude who is also a healer, Masikane said that she is still going to continue pursuing her dreams, running her businesses and NPO although she knows that there will be limitations.
“I am not a neutral person anymore. I cannot do things the way I did before. I am a spiritual person so I need to remember that my life is in the hands of my ancestors now and I should respect that.”
