Why Baba Ngwemabala kept a low profile after reality show. She is a favorite sangoma figure in South Africa. She rose to stardom after appearing on season one of the reality show Izangoma Zodumo. Although she did not appear in season two, she is still a favorite of the audience. Thandiwe Prudence Magagula, as Baba Ngwemabala, recounts why she disappeared after the reality program and the difficulties she had.
She became famous for her upbeat attitude and people like her straightforward demeanor after appearing on the reality show. But according to Baba Ngwemabala, the reality show worried her somewhat.
“We did the show. The good side of being on the show is that business was good. I had long queues, I had thwasas (initiates), my house was full of clients,” she says.
“Then someone decided they could not bring me down through sangoma practices then they decided to send a lady to come and thwasa. She was very good and handy.” But then Ngwemabala started getting sick. “It was a slow poison. I had extreme fatigue that no one could explain. When I went into the ndumba and I couldn’t work. I started canceling clients. I was losing money. It went on for a week or so.” She was advised to see a doctor.
“This girl jumped… that was red flag number one. She had made remedies for me but mixed with the poison.” Baba Ngwemabala says that she suffered. “I got worse when my doctor came to my house when she heard I was dying and couldn’t move or walk.” She was taken to the hospital and went into a coma. “A part of my liver was damaged and got cut. The poison ate the liver and I was fortunate it didn’t go to my other organs.”
” Baba Ngwemabala says upon her return home, she had a spiritual awakening. “My ancestor pointed out the person who poisoned me.” She asked the thwasa who sent her. “There and there, she sang like a canary and confessed who sent her to poison me and I cried.”
Accused of R@pe
Baba Ngwemabala says one person came to thwasa at her home and turned people against her. “They plotted against me. People came into my house with guns and my thwasa opened for them,” she says. She says the last straw was when she was accused of raping one of her thwasas. “I can stay celibate for two years. Why would I rape a ithwasa?” she asks. But she is grateful people realised it was all lies. “I don’t even fight through social media.” Baba Ngwemabala says there was an alleged legal case against her but it never made it to her home. “My dad got a stroke from all these things and he passed on. He would walk me to the river and we would be chased with guns and we would run,” she says. “The people behind all this, drove into my garage door while my dad was there. I knew who was behind this.” But she’s glad that she survived it all.
