Well-known traditional healer Phakanani is no more

Well-known traditional healer Ms Mamaila Makondo has passed away. Her family confirmed her death. She died on Wednesday at a local hospital.

Makondo was popularly known as Maine Vho-Phakanani of Ha-Mphego outside Thohoyandou. Her only daughter, Ms Grace Makondo, said her mother had been battling ulcers for some time. “We took her to private doctors, but it did not help and that was when we took her to the hospital where she was admitted on Sunday last week.”

She added that her mother’s health improved drastically, and that they had hoped she would be discharged on Wednesday. “When I visited her on Wednesday, I was surprised to find that her health had changed for the worse and she could not even speak. She passed on at around 15:00."

Grace further indicated that arrangements of her funeral were at an advanced stage. She added that, as per her wish, her initiates (mathwasane) would hold a special, sacred, traditional part of the funeral, where they would be beating drums and performing rituals the whole night.

Makondo is survived by her daughter Grace after her other daughter, Nelly, passed on in 2000. She will be buried on Saturday and a service will be held at her home.

A few years ago, the Maseule family in Malavuwe village outside Thohoyandou found themselves in a predicament when a member of the family went missing without a trace. Lufuno Maseule, a reggae musician, who was 36 and known for numerous efforts to develop the youth in the field of sport, was reported missing for eight days.

Reportedly, after several strong rituals, she helped the family to bring back the missing man.

Date:28 February 2019

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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