The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka Sunday News Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association (Zinatha) has warned members of the public against falling for bogus traditional and faith healers who claim to cure HIV and Aids. Zinatha director general Mr George Kandiero last week reiterated that no cure had been found yet for the disease, adding that anyone claiming to be able to cure HIV was bent on misleading the nation.
His remarks come against the backdrop of sensational claims by some traditional and faith healers who say they can cure HIV. Most of these put up posters in public places advertising their services.
Some prominent church leaders have also jumped onto the HIV – cure bandwagon, claiming to be able to pray the disease away.
Mr Kandiero said such claims, coming from traditional healers or faith healers, were unfounded and baseless.
“Officially we have no cure. No cure for HIV has been found yet. What our members can do is to eradicate symptoms of HIV and treat opportunistic illnesses. We don’t know of anyone world over who can cure HIV, it’s not possible yet. Those that are saying so are being malicious and are misleading people,” he said.
Mr Kandiero said most traditional healers who often make such sensational claims were not registered with Zinatha hence were not recognised by the Ministry of Health and Child Care as health practitioners.
He warned members of the public against consulting bogus traditional healers saying doing so would expose them to the risk of being given harmful concoctions that might worsen their conditions.
“We have a big problem there when someone just wakes up one morning making such claims. A traditional healer has to get clearance from us first before they can practise and as an organisation we don’t register people who make baseless claims of their abilities.
“What worries us is that most of these people who are claiming to be able to cure HIV are not registered practitioners.”
Mr Kandiero’s sentiments were backed by Gogo Thabitha MaNdebele, a traditional healer based in Dongamuzi in Lupane District.
Gogo MaNdebele urged the Ministry of Health and Child Care to swoop on unregistered traditional healers and bar them from practising as they were a threat to people’s lives.
She said only registered traditional healers should be allowed to operate as this would help improve accountability in the traditional healing practice.
“HIV has no cure and we all know that, now for people to claim they can cure it is criminal. Government should descend on such traditional healers who are tarnishing our work,” she said.
Meanwhile, our sister paper Chronicle reported that Midlands provincial medical director Dr Milton Chemhuru dared traditional and faith healers who claim to have a cure for HIV/Aids to come out in the open.
According to the report, Dr Chemhuru was speaking at a three-day workshop organised by Sadc in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and National Aids Council (NAC) in Gweru last week.
Dr Chemhuru expressed concern at the increase in traditional and faith healers who claim to be curing the disease, pointing out that such claims were retrogressive in the fight against HIV and Aids.
“You (traditional healers) must be careful when conducting your business because of all the patients that seek your assistance, 80 percent are HIV positive. However, we note with concern claims by some traditional healers and faith healers who claim to have a cure for HIV/Aids. If there are any such healers, Government is challenging them to come forward and cure patients that are on ART treatment in the country.”
Dr Chemhuru went on and warned that Government would descend on traditional healers and faith healers who make sensational claims of curing HIV.
“Government will not hesitate to take legal action against individuals making baseless and false claims of curing HIV and Aids. As Government we feel it is retrogressive in the fight against the pandemic to have people who fleece innocent patients of their money by making baseless claims of having a cure for HIV/Aids.”
Last year a Chitungwiza based traditional healer Samuel Chikurupati Mushonga (73), popularly known as Dr Muzenda, from Nyamadzawo village in Dema, Seke, was reported claiming that he had cured over 150 people of HIV/Aids since December 2012.
In Matobo District in Matabeleland South, in a village called Silozwi rumours filtered through last year that a youthful traditional healer had “cured’’ three bed-ridden people of HIV and Aids.
