Nondumiso Cele, is a Traditional Healer from Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal. After their divorce, her mother, moved to Venda in the Limpopo province. Where Nondumiso spent much of her childhood. It was after completing her matriculation, that she moved to varsity to complete her media and journalism degree. She and her siblings were raised in a staunch catholic home. She spent much of her youth traveling with her siblings, following their mother around. As her job as a lecturer caused her to move from province to province regularly. Nondumiso said that this opened her up to many cultures and languages that she learned. She says that it also gave her an opportunity to make a lot of friends.
She says finding out she had a Sangoma calling was actually quite weird. She relayed that, at the time she was married with a one year old daughter. She said she remembered how her daughter would just stand in the middle of the night. Often just gazing and looking at nothing. This happened often enough to raise concerns for Nombuso. Who said she shared her daughters zombie behaviour with a friend, who advised her to see a Saangoma.
The concept of Ubungoma, was very new to Nondumiso because of her catholic upbringing. She grew up in a home, where African Customs were not practiced, let alone seeing a Sangoma. So when she shared her experience with her aunt, Nondumiso says. Her aunt opened up to her that her mother had neglected her calling as her maternal grandmother was a staunch Christian who warned her from wanting to meddle in Ubungoma and other African Spiritual Affairs. So after their talk, her aunt gave her, herblessing to heed her calling and go into Sangoma initiation in 2014.
Nondumiso or Mkhulu Ngomase’s, Sangoma work includes being a ‘Gobela’ or initiator, a Herbalist and working as an African Prophet where she uses water to heal her clients. She says that what she enjoys most about her gift, is that it gives her the opportunity to teach others about Ubungoma. She said she remembered how difficult initiation was for her. She experienced fake Gobela’s due to the lack of information. She says she holds talks where she educates those with a Sangoma calling on what to expect and how to tell a fake healer so that they don’t experience her hardships and disappointments.
Nondumiso, is a typical Sangoma. She is very hands on when it comes to community initiatives and programs. She is passionate and sensitive to matters affecting the youth. Not only that, she is also business minded and an entrepreneur. She boasts of a herbal store, an alcohol brand and a youth development group. Here she mentors and advises the youth at her self-founded organisation, ‘Izintombi zikaNgomase’ on teenage pregnancy, the dangers of substance abuse and engaging in criminal activity.