There is no single South African tradition

Ukuthwasa is commonly used for a process of being called and trained to become a traditional diviner-healer, often called an isangoma in isiZulu and related Nguni usage. Terms, interpretations and ceremonies vary among Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele, Swati, Sotho, Tswana and other communities, and also between teachers and families. Any short explanation is therefore an introduction, not a universal rulebook.

For many practitioners and families, the calling is a serious religious and social responsibility rather than a hobby or personality label. Outsiders should avoid copying initiation symbols, claiming titles or turning private ceremonial knowledge into costume. Respect begins with letting practitioners describe their own lineage and work.

What people mean by a calling

Accounts of ubizo — a calling — may include persistent dreams, unusual experiences, illness, distress or repeated family events understood through an ancestral framework. Within that framework, accepting the call can mean learning to serve both ancestors and community. Not everyone interprets similar experiences in the same way, and no online checklist can decide whether a person has been called.

Distress also deserves ordinary care. Hearing voices, severe sleeplessness, confusion, thoughts of self-harm or physical symptoms can require prompt assessment by qualified health professionals. Seeking medical or psychological help does not prevent someone from also consulting trusted family, clergy or a reputable traditional practitioner.

Training under a gobela

A trainee, or thwasa, learns under an experienced mentor often called a gobela. Training can involve interpreting dreams, learning praise and ritual language, preparing medicines where that forms part of the lineage, understanding conduct toward clients, and practising forms of divination. Its duration and content differ widely; initiation marks a responsibility, not the end of learning.

The relationship is demanding and can involve money, residence and authority. A prospective trainee should involve trusted family, ask clearly about costs and expectations, and be cautious of anyone who guarantees status quickly, isolates them, threatens supernatural punishment for leaving, or demands escalating secret payments.

Bones are a language, not a dice roll

Some diviners use a collection often described in English as “bones”, although it may include shells, stones, coins, carved pieces and other inherited or selected objects. The arrangement is interpreted in relation to the client, family and question. Objects gain meaning within a practitioner’s trained system; a photograph of a throw cannot be decoded reliably with a generic internet key.

South African History Online describes isangoma practice as holistic in the sense that physical symptoms may be considered alongside family, work and social relationships. That describes a traditional approach; it does not establish that divination medically diagnoses disease. Tests, emergencies and treatment decisions belong with appropriately qualified health services.

Traditional practice and South African law

The Traditional Health Practitioners Act 22 of 2007 created a framework intended to regulate registration, training and conduct and to support the safety and quality of traditional health services. The law recognises categories of practice; it does not make every claim by every person safe or proven, and it does not turn a spiritual consultation into a replacement for a doctor.

Useful questions for any practitioner include what category they practise in, what a consultation will cost, what information remains private, and when they refer clients to clinics or other professionals. Ethical care leaves room for questions and informed consent.

How to learn respectfully

Begin with South African practitioners, historians and community-based scholarship rather than sensational entertainment. This article was checked against the South African Government’s text and summary of the Traditional Health Practitioners Act, South African History Online’s introduction to indigenous medicine and traditional healing, and academic work on southern African healing and divination.

Treat specific ceremonies as belonging to the people who hold them. Learning about a tradition is not the same as receiving a calling, completing an apprenticeship or gaining permission to teach it. Respectful curiosity can be public; initiation is not content for strangers to reproduce.

Published 2026-09-27. For reflection and entertainment; not advice.

What Is Ukuthwasa? Understanding the Sangoma Calling