damage the lives of many innocent people. as a general rule, sangomas tend not to advertise through flyers or posters. they tend to rely more on their reputation, word of mouth and their trust in their ancestors to bring them the right clients. mary bungeni, a sangoma herself, explains: sangomas don’t do miracles and there is no such a thing as doubling a person’s money. they only help to connect with the ancestors, who gives them directions on how to heal and assist people in need. the ancestors get angry when people play with their name and end up taking away the powers and calling given to a person. the sangomas are not rich because they are controlled by the ancestors. the bogus sangomas cause people to not believe ancestors, because they lie about their work with the ancestors. dr motlalepula matsabisa, director of the medical research council's indigenous knowledge unit, says there appears to be many fake traditional healers around, however because of a lack of regulation, they go unchecked and explains that if anyone can bring about good luck and predict lotto numbers, they would not be poor themselves. however, he also warns that people should not be gullible. phephsile maseko, national coordinator of the traditional healers organization (tho), says: a true healer is someone who has been through initiation, inducted by an expert in the field, who has undergone rigorous training and completed external healing courses. if a patient complains of headaches, they will be given plants with painkilling properties. but the healer will also try to establish the root cause of the headaches, and treat that too. this may mean the healer will provide counselling to the patient. treatment is usually holistic, and a once-off ointment will generally not do the trick. many clients come for help with their relationships or marriages. a potion may be given to open the communication channels between couples, so that they can speak about their problems. counselling will also be on offer, but there is no quick-fix solution.