Being gay or lesbian doesn’t change who you are or make you less of a human, these are the remarks of renowned gender activist and sangoma Mabuti Mkangeli.
The 48-year-old member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and others (LGBTQIA+) community, in Lower Crossroads, stated that he is proud of being gay and a traditional healer.
In an interview with City Vision, Mkangeli, who is well-known for his sangoma services, narrated a journey of hard work, sacrifice and discrimination en route to being a healer.
He shared how gay and lesbian traditional healers battled to achieve the same recognition as those in relationships with the opposite sex. He labelled his journey as daunting and packed with hurdles.
In general, Mkhangeli said some people simply disregard them because of their sexual orientation. “People always judge us because of who we are. I’m not the only person who is practising the calling. Others did their training a long time ago. I’ve been harassed and discriminated against by other traditional healers. They would call me names and marginalise me because of who I am,” he explained.
The soft-spoken activist said he is never fazed by what people say about him. He added they have an organisation that supports gay and lesbian sangomas. “I started training to be a sangoma more than 10 years ago. I took my time and I followed all the processes. Because of the treatment that we are receiving from the community and other sangomas, we established our own forum called LGBTQIA+ Traditional Healers Forum so that we can share our stories. But, the main aim is to unite us,” he stated.
Mkangeli said being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community does not mean they are not humans. He stated that they do whatever they are supposed to do. “People are confused. They think that we run away from our culture. As gay people, we go to the mountain. We follow our calling. The only difference is the lifestyle that we are living. Other than that we are normal,” he stated.
Like most people who receive their calling to be sangomas, Mkangeli said he rejected it and joined church hoping for things to turn around. However, it got worse. “I hated the fact that traditional healers like to go around with baggage. When I joined the church I thought my dreams would be better instead I became worse. I had to accept it. I didn’t like to be a sangoma before but I enjoy it now,” said Mkangeli. He stated that being gay and practising sangoma required a thick skin.
Mkangeli who is also working at Gugulethu Clinic in a men’s clinic section said he doesn’t have problems with other people and he doesn’t understand why other people have issues with people in same-sex relationships.