THE Tuswa family is very special.
Not only are Noxhanti “Ntombes’ilawu” and her husband, Silumko “Jongithongo” izangoma, but three of their six children are also izangoma.
And even though they are izangoma, the Tuswa kids play like any other children.
Noxhanti (58) from Philippi, Cape Town, told Daily Sun she met her husband at a sangoma ceremony.
“We fell in love. I think our ancestors made it possible for us to meet. They had a reason to do that,” she said.
They met in 1998, but she only become a sangoma in 2002, while her husband has been a sangoma since 1994.
Their 16-year-old twin daughters and nine-year-old daughter are also izangoma.
Noxhanti said they used the same indumba. “We had a big ceremony where we united our ancestors to become one. We also wanted them to know we are going to use one indumba,” she said.
One of the twins, Athenkosi “Ahlume” said being a sangoma didn’t change anything, while the other twin, Anovuyo “Lihlume”, said some kids at school didn’t understand them at first.
The twins said they took turns to help those who come for consultations.
Iminathi “Azazole” (9) said her ancestors chose them for a reason.
“Even though I am still learning, I can help just like my sisters. I know what to do and when to do it,” she said.
According to their father, one of the twins started seeing things in her sleep.
He said Iminathi fell sick and they took her to different doctors, but they never found the problem.
“Her eyes were sore and she cried all night. We took her to the doctors, but they saw anything wrong with her until her mother had a dream,” he said.
Silumko said his wife dreamt giving a child water and when she gave their child water, she was fine.
“We are lucky. It is not every day you find a family of izangoma. We are really special,” he said.A resident said she never thought it was possible for this to happen.“This shows that being a sangoma has nothing to do with age. Look at the young one, you can tell she is good,” she said. The twins said they wanted to become lawyers, while their sister wants to be a doctor.
