A sangoma is what is otherwise known as a witchdoctor. A large proportion of South Africa's population regularly visits sangomas for medical attention (sangomas can allegedly even cure AIDS), but also for "muti". Muti can mean medicine, but can also refer to a magical potion that can make robbers invisible to the police, or keep your wife faithful (no, really.) Muti is often made from herbs, animal parts and even human bodies. People are killed for muti in what is known as muti murders.
Recently, pupils at a school in the Northwest province refused to go to school, because sangomas had planted muti at the school. Pupils only returned to class after a cleansing ceremony had been performed at the school. These very same school pupils are of course South Africa's hope for the future. They are the people who will have to participate in a sophisticated, global economy, and compete with millions of highly educated and intelligent Chinese and Indians in the future.
One could possibly attribute the bizarre happenings at the school mentioned above to the fact that these are school children in a rural district, with superstitious, backward parents.
The same cannot however be said of Tokyo Sexwale. Sexwale is a member of the ANC, the former premier of the Gauteng province and a billionaire "businessman." Note the quotation marks around "businessman"; he is in reality the recipient of billions of rands extorted from legitimate businesses in the scheme of legalized racial theft known as black economic empowerment (BEE.) It is unclear what, if any, business acumen or entrepreneurial qualities Sexwale possesses, but he does have one vital asset: he knows the right people, a sure ticket to wealth in the corrupt system of crony capitalism so prevalent under the ANC regime.
"Businessman" or an adherent of primitive superstition?
Being a billionaire "businessman", a director of several multi-billion dollar companies and former premier, Sexwale is presumably a much more sophisticated person, not so? Surely he doesn't subscribe to primitive superstitions and backward belief systems?
Wrong.
Sexwale is in hot water, after having accused the ANC's political rivals, Cope, of using old women for the purposes of witchcraft. Once again, let me emphasize: this is not a backward rural inhabitant. This is an obscenely rich, presumably sophisticated politician.
Scarier than the credit crisis to Sexwale…
And then the West wonders why Africa will forever remain the dark continent.
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