The world of traditional healers in KwaZulu-Natal is heating up, with a public spat between two prominent inyanga, King Bhaka and Dr 2+2, threatening to divide Mzansi.
The feud, which has spilled onto social media, is a clash of personalities and accusations of fakery, leaving the public wondering who to trust.
King Bhaka, real name Zamokwakhe Nzama (43), is a well-known inyanga from Durban who rose to fame after dating controversial singer Kelly Khumalo, known for his outspoken nature and previous public clashes with other healers. This time, his target is Dr 2+2, a fellow inyanga from KwaMhlabuyalingana, whom Bhaka accuses of scamming people with false claims of having zombies and snakes that can bring wealth.
"After seeing 2+2 lying and scamming people, I got very angry because that drags our names as traditional healers through the mud," Bhaka said.
"There are a lot of people who claim they are one of us. They claim to have zombies and tikoloshes that they use for ukuthwala. I know this because I'm a strong inyanga. I've consulted my ancestors to show me if these people are telling the truth. They must stop misleading people. I'll be the voice of the poor people and also teach people about these things so that they won't fall into traps."
Bhaka's accusations are not new. He has previously mocked fellow inyanga Dr Khehlelezi, claiming that his predictions of more deaths following a tragedy at Ukhozi FM were false. This latest outburst, however, has taken a more confrontational turn. Bhaka has posted videos online, directly calling out Dr 2+2 and threatening to deal with him "traditionally" if he doesn't stop his alleged scams.
"I told him to stop this because people will lose faith in us. People will think we are all scammers. He must stop otherwise I'll deal with him traditionally," Bhaka said.
Dr 2+2, however, has dismissed Bhaka's accusations, calling him jealous and crazy.
"I'm not the first one to be criticised by this man. He is jealous. When he realised that there's an inyanga who is getting famous and getting more customers than him, he gets jealous," Dr 2+2 said.
He also denied Bhaka's claims of using zombies and snakes for ukuthwala, insisting that he is a legitimate inyanga with powerful muthi.
"I'm a strong inyanga who has travelled to other African countries and came back with strong muthi. I have powerful zombies. I'll send them to him if he continues. He must stop messing with the wrong person," Dr 2+2 warned.
The KZN Traditional Healers Association has weighed in on the dispute, urging both parties to resolve their differences through proper channels.
"We can't encourage our members to fight in public. That's not good for us. If he has complaints, he should contact the association," said KZN Traditional Healers Association spokesman Thandonjani Hlongwane.
Hlongwane acknowledged the existence of fake traditional healers, but stressed that it's up to the public to be vigilant and avoid scams.
"It's true that there are fake traditional healers, but it's up to people to make sure that they don't get scammed," he said.
