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Sangoma by day, MAGOSHA by night

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Asijiki Coalition’s Constance Mathe said sex workers are able to perform their duties while helping people.
Asijiki Coalition’s Constance Mathe said sex workers are able to perform their duties while helping people.

GOD does not judge sex workers and so should humans.”

These were the words of Constance Mathe, who is a national co-ordinator of Asijiki Coalition.

Asijiki is a group of sex workers, activists, advocates and human rights defenders who advocate for the decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa.

Constance has urged people not to judge izangoma who are also sex workers.

She spoke to Daily Sun after a woman recently told the People’s Paper she left her job as a sex worker believing her ancestors didn’t want her to sleep with various men.

Constance said although she was not an expert in ancestral callings, she had seen that spiritual callings could happen to anyone irrespective of the work they do.

She said there are magoshas who also work as izangoma.

“Sex workers also get distracted in their work when a spiritual calling takes place.

“Some take time off to attend to the calling and later return to work. They are able to perform their work duties while helping people.

“I believe a spiritual calling has nothing to do with the nature of work one does.

“We as Africans are very connected to our ancestors and anyone can be called.”

A 43-year-old sex worker and a sangoma said: “I was in and out of hospitals. Doctors couldn’t diagnose me until I consulted with a sangoma. As a sex worker, I was shocked to be told my ancestors are calling me to become a sangoma. I thought they probably wanted me to quit in order to become a sangoma, but it wasn’t the case.”

For the past six years, this mother of two boys aged 10 and 17 has been performing her duties as a sangoma during the week and sex work on weekends.

She said: “I haven’t encountered any problems since I answered my calling and my ancestors have been showering me with blessings. People have so many expectations from sex workers but our ancestors don’t.”

Gobela Grace Ndlovu, who has been a sangoma for nearly four decades, said: “The journey to become a sangoma is tough and has a lot of strict rules.

“Sleeping with different men and women all at one go is not allowed when you are a sangoma.”

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