Traditional Medicine Invigorated: An expanded response to HIV and AIDS in South Africa
The aim of this article is to shed light on patterns of, and major motives for the utilisation of
traditional medicine to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS in South Africa. This study was
conducted in Soshanguve township in Gauteng. A qualitative approach was adopted by
conducting focus group interviews with fifty-seven traditional healers. Data was analysed
using axial coding and open coding, where dominant themes from the discussions were
identified and discussed in detail. The findings depict that traditional healing is a deepseated
practice. In addition, the study established that the foremost motives for choosing
traditional healers over biomedical practitioners were affordability of the services rendered
by traditional healers and the efficacy and safety of traditional medicines. It is worth noting
that the African continent, as the worst-ravaged region in terms of HIV and AIDS and the
poorest in terms of modern health care resources, is an obvious site for collaboration
between traditional healers and biomedical health care providers.