Traditional healer Opens Up About Losing Love, Job, and Herself Before Ancestral Calling

 Before Mary “Nkanyamba” Ketime embraced her destiny as a sangoma, her life was a storm of heartbreak, confusion, and near-tragedy. The 31-year-old from Thembisa, Ekurhuleni, says she only found peace after finally accepting her ancestral calling.

Mary, affectionately known as the yellow-bone sangoma, recalls a string of failed relationships where boyfriends would disappear just weeks after meeting her. Despite compliments and interest from men, she believes her ancestral spirits—amadlozi—were keeping them away to push her toward her spiritual path.

“Men used to tell me I’m beautiful, but they’d vanish without warning. I later realized amadlozi wanted my attention,” she shared. Originally from Welkom in the Free State, Mary says her troubles didn’t stop at love. In 2022, she lost her job as a paralegal in Sandton without explanation. Strange dreams and recurring signs of danger while driving made her question what was happening. That’s when she consulted and discovered her ancestors had been calling her all along.

She began her ukuthwasa journey in March 2024 and graduated as a sangoma five months later. The process wasn’t easy—she lost friends and felt alone—but she says it was all worth it.“I don’t need friends anymore. My friends are amadlozi,” she said with confidence. Mary now focuses on helping others by removing bad luck and guiding them through life’s confusion.

Her gobela (mentor), Dorah Ngobeni, confirmed that Mary’s life has transformed since she accepted her gift. “She had unstable relationships, jobs, and close calls with accidents. Now she’s grounded,” said Dorah.

Mary’s story is a powerful reminder that sometimes, healing begins when we stop resisting our true path.