Publications
REMEDIES Phumlani S Langa speaks with a sangoma and gains a few pointers to get rid of a tokoloshe.
I have been fascinated by the myth of the tokoloshe ever since I was a kid. I first heard of this creature when I noticed a relative of mine had placed their bed on bricks – two under each leg. “They can’t climb high,” I was told.
I’ve never seen one myself, but they’re very much a part of our lives in this country. These creatures are apparently summoned using powerful muti and they’re sent to cause pain and disruption.
In investigating this creature, my first port of call wasn’t a sangoma as you might think. I went to my street corner to speak with the ladies who wait for the Fafi man there. Fafi is a numbers game of luck where you can win small sums of money. It was apparently brought to South Africa by the Chinese, and people’s choice of numbers depends on what they dreamt the night before.
A cow could indicate the number seven and a chicken could mean play double. It varies, from what I can tell. I was particularly interested in one dream that was being heavily thrashed out on the corner one day. One of the ladies dreamt she had sexual relations with a handsome white man. Sis’ G explains: “It was so real and he was so good.”
She blushes as the pavement is sent into an uproar and at least six of the women present are adamant that this is the work of a tokoloshe. Sis’ G has been on a role at Fafi of late, and she says she’s been making more money than she usually does. Her friends immediately say that jealous people want to derail her good fortunes and that this handsome white guy is how they will do it. I shudder as one of the ladies suggests: “It will come for you every night until you can’t have children anymore.”
I’ve never heard a nice thing about a tokoloshe in all my life. I’ve heard that they’re short and hairy. Some even have a bit of a sweet tooth. It’s all rather puzzling as I have also been told that the creatures are tall and have a lust for the taste of blood. A common thread seems to be their appetite for sex. So how exactly would one get rid of a tokoloshe?
Sangoma of the Sun
The Daily Sun uses a sangoma from the East Rand to aid in its coverage of this supernatural scourge, and often links up readers who need help. Dudlamanzi Joseph Msimbini has been a practising sangoma for 10 years and he’s seen it all.
“This thing is very real my man,” he chuckles weirdly. “I didn’t think so, but I have encountered tokoloshes many times.”
The sangoma explains just what happens when you’re dealing with this: “It’s a creature that can’t easily be seen with the human eye. It enters your life by taking the form of something familiar. Many times when people come to me, they speak of dreams that involve them having sex with a white man or woman.”
Rest easy though, he assures me that these beings can come for Caucasians too. Maybe you’ll dream of sex with a black person...
This is what Sis’ G said happened to her. Msimbini says: “These creatures are brought to our plane of reality through witchcraft and powerful muti. They are sent by those who are envious and seek to see those around them fall on hard times. It can be sent from one province to another or just next door. When it comes and is left untreated, businesses, marriages and even life can come to an end.”
He’s dead serious the entire time he explains this to me. The mood of our conversation gets more bone-chilling as he recounts what he’s seen before.
“I’ve seen cases where the tokoloshe is in complete control of a person. It inhabits and controls them. People black out and wake up naked in the middle of a field when the tokoloshe decides to take a rest. They have no idea how they got there or what they’d been doing, in some cases, for days prior.”
He urges you to reach out as soon as you can if things start going a little pear-shaped for you and your dreams become twisted.
“You’ll know when a tokoloshe is looking to get you. You’ll need to seek the help of a sangoma quickly. There are a few options you have. The sangoma can speak with your ancestors and ask them to protect you.”
This would be done in a session where you must pay and burn incense.
“I know certain people use the blood of a black chicken to cleanse a person’s body. I don’t use a black one and I never kill the chicken. I take just enough blood to place on my client’s face and body. I then set that chicken free.”
I ask about the bricks and he says: “It does work, which is why so many people do it. The scary thing is that a tokoloshe can be amped up or made to work harder to get inside a person.”
The thing at the core of it all is jealousy. The sangoma says the strongest way to combat this would be to keep positive people around you who will build you up. If that fails, dial Mr Msimbini on 082 547 0099.
