They called, and she answered: Ashley Matlou embraces her ancestral calling!

By: Simon Majadibodu

 24-year-old  Ashley Tebalelo Matlou is proud to be sangoma (traditional healer) . Photo: Supplied 

“I used to see an old woman in my dreams, sometimes even in class when the teacher was busy teaching, and I could see water inside the classroom.”

These are the words of Ashley Tebalelo Matlou, who hails from Lesodi Motlana Village, in Mokopane explaining how her calling to be a sangoma (traditional healer) started.

She was 16 years old and in Grade 10 when she started having visions and bad dreams.

“Sometimes I would hear drums in my ears and birds singing in my ears too,” a second-year Tourism student at Waterberg TVET College said.

Ashley’s journey to accept her ancestral calling was difficult because she comes from a family of Christians. 

Ashley Tebalelo Matlou said that she started to experience bad dreams when she was in Grade 10, at the age of 16 years old. Photo: Supplied 

“It did not sit well with me, because I loved going to church and I was scared of what people would say about me wearing red and white beads on my body,” she added.

As time went on, her ancestral calling grew stronger, and her family did not even know what to do as she fell ill almost every day.

She reminisced: “I then started to bleed in my ears and nose almost every day, having painful headaches, and I even went to see a doctor, but I couldn’t get any help.”

“When I was in Grade 12, I got blind not knowing that it was the ancestor's punishment for being hesitant and not accepting their calling.”

Ashley Tebalelo Matlou said that accepting her ancestral calling was not an easy as she comes from a family of Christians. Photo: Supplied 

Earlier this year, in January, while she was at Mahwelereng, Hospital View in Mokopane, where she stays with her grandfather due to studies, she woke up seeing a house of the Gobela (someone who trains people to be sangomas) and went there.

That’s where the Gobela trained her to be a traditional healer.

The 24-year-old is now qualified sangoma as she graduated on September 16.

Reflecting on her training she said: “Though it was not an easy journey, I am extremely happy that now I will save people's lives because it’s something I was born to do,” she burped heavily. 

Gogo Ngwenyama Manzini said that juggling both school and initiation process was very difficult for her. Photo: Supplied 

Now, she is known as “Gogo Ngwenyana Manzini,” which is the name of the grandmother who leads her by the hand.

She went on to say that the initiation process was never easy because she had to go to school while still training.

"It was difficult, and I was under a lot of pressure, but I managed to pass my studies very well, and I am proud of myself for that," she said, grabbing a snuff in her right hand. 

Ashley Tebalelo Matlou - Gogo Ngwenyama Manzini is now a qualified sangoma and proudly throws the bones. Photo: Supplied 

The young sangoma said people started to mock her, following the pictures she posted on Facebook of herself wearing traditional clothes and beads all over her body.

“People used to say I’m faking my ancestral calling to get attention and for fun.”

However, “I told myself that my ancestors and God will deal with that as they know everything,” said the proud sangoma.

Ashley “Gogo Ngwenyama”, now proudly throws and reads the bones.

She mentioned that she feels ecstatic to be a young sangoma and that she is looking forward to using her ancestral gift to heal and save lives.