Tragic: Two sangomas drown during ritual
Two trainee sangomas, Bongumusa Magubane and Nkosinathi Zwane, drowned during an initiation ritual ceremony in Hammarsdale, KwaZulu Natal. Bangomusa once appeared on Skeem Saam briefly in 2017. The bodies of the two men, who were also members of the Nazareth Baptist Church (Shembe). They had gone to the river to enhance their prophetic powers but tragically did not return safely.
A third man who was with them during the ritual managed to survive and provided an account of the incident. The grandmother of one of the deceased sangomas expressed shock and grief, as her grandson had left with the promise of returning in a week. The prophet who led the initiation did not disclose that he was taking the young man for such rituals.
In a separate incident, an unidentified man went missing after being washed off rocks by waves at Port Edward Beach. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) was alerted to the drowning and launched a search operation involving rescue swimmers and the Police Search and Rescue team. Despite extensive efforts, the missing man has not been located.
‘Skeem Saam’ sangomas: Actors who answered their ‘ancestral calling’
Several actors from the popular SABC soapie, Skeem Saam, have made surprising announcements about their personal lives. Last year, actress Pebetsi Nolo Matlaila, known for her role as Mokgadi Maputla, secretly got married. Around the same time, Mlungisi Mathe, who portrays Emkay, revealed that he had answered his ancestral calling.
This year, actresses Lerato Marabe (Pretty Seakamela) and Nozi Langa (Glenda) also disclosed that they had secretly tied the knot. Adding to the revelations, Oratile Maitisa, who plays Eunice Nkadimeng, recently shared on Instagram that she has become a sangoma, posting pictures of herself in traditional sangoma attire surrounded by family members.
Mlungisi Mathe spoke about his own journey, stating that he had known about his ancestral calling from a young age. He emphasized that this path is challenging and not something he would wish upon others. Mathe is not only an actor but also a spiritualist and medium.
Veteran actress Shoki Mmola, known for her role as Celia Kunutu, revealed in a 2019 interview that she is a practicing sangoma. She expressed her joy and achievement in becoming a qualified traditional healer, emphasizing that her calling is not a celebrity trend but a deeply personal and meaningful path that she was born into.
These revelations from the Skeem Saam actors highlight their diverse personal journeys and the unique paths they have chosen to follow alongside their acting careers.
