Holy water and the power of the ancestors were called upon to prevent fatal road accidents on the N2.
A cross-culture ceremony was conducted last week at a death site near Tsitsa Bridge near Tsolo. This stretch of the N2 is one of the most dangerous countrywide, especially during the festive season.
AmaMpondomise leaders Reverend Siphiwo Tafa and his wife Xoliswa died there on December 6. On Thursday, AmaMpondomise traditional leaders and clergy united to hold African traditional rituals and Christian rites to evoke ancestors’ spirits.
They prayed to God and the ancestors to curb accidents on the treacherous stretch.
A leaf from the Mphafa tree was used and the words from a clan leader rang out: “We call upon the ancestors to cleanse this road and curb deaths and injuries. Many lives have been lost here. It has come to be a dark, cursed road. We seek divine intervention.”
The AmaMpondomise, reflecting a return to their indigenous roots, wore traditional beaded attire and sang traditional songs, clutched sticks, cowhide shields and spears when they buried the couple at 7pm at Mbutho village near Tsolo. The AmaMpondomise, led by the Dosini royal house, sang ugwatywu (war songs) and umgubho (celebratory songs).
Leading the ritual was Simphiwe Dosini Molosi, the secretary-general of AmaMpondomise Royal Council and the commander of Amabutho (combined regiments) of AmaMpondomise.
The caskets carrying the bodies of the Tafa couple – a priest and teacher – were covered by hides from a freshly slaughtered ox (patriotism) and cow (heroism).
The bodies were first taken to the couple’s homestead and the cortege later moved to the N2.
An AmaMpondomise leader in the Dosini royal house performed rituals to repatriate the two souls from the crash spot and take them home...