Transformation of the South African health care system with regard to African traditional healers: The social effects of inclusion and regulation

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The paper will examine the recent incorporation of African traditional healers into the larger government-regulated health system. The new legislation passed by government is an attempt to legally recognise the fact that African traditional healers in South Africa play a significant role as part of the health system in the country. The health system has gone through dramatic changes since 1994, including the shifting of portfolio committee member from Nkosazana Zuma in 1994 to the present minister of health Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and the endless complexities of policy implementation since the dawn of the new democracy. This paper argues that there is a conflict of interests between traditional healers and the government concerning the new legislation that aims to guard the South African public against medical malpractice among traditional healers and enable members of the public to freely consult with traditional healers as they please. The Traditional Health Practitioners Act, No 22 of 2007 provides a clear description of the various types of traditional healers operating in South Africa and how we should differentiate between them. But, while the Act sets out a number of objectives for government, it talks little about the practical regulation of spiritual healing. Key words: African traditional healers, traditional health practitioners Act, No. 22 of 2007.