“I was saved by God”

A traditional healer who nearly died while trapped in the mountains in the Mphaphuli Nature Reserve near the Sambandou village, returned to home on Wednesday. His only solace is that, amidst the terrifying ordeal, he at least managed to collect the traditional herbs promised to him by the ancestors.

Mr Mpfumedzeni Ramashia (53), better known as “Vho-Nganga dzinnya”, had to be rescued from the mountains outside Thohoyandou, after going missing for almost a week. He and his friend, Morris Sambo (47), went to the nature reserve on Sunday in search of the herbs. According to the initial police reports Ramashia and Sambo got separated, after Ramashia told his friend that he needed to speak to the ancestors on his own. Sambo returned home, while Ramashia stayed in the mountains.

When Ramashia did not return home the following day, Sambo reported him as missing. A search and rescue team comprising various stakeholders, including a search party led by Sambo, looked for him in the mountain on Wednesday, but to no avail.

The search continued and on Thursday faint screams were heard coming from down the mountain. A police helicopter was summoned, but could not get to the survivor immediately, because of the bad weather.

Brig Motlafelo Mojapelo, spokesperson for the police, said that Ramashia was eventually rescued on Friday. He apparently fell and got stuck in tree branches. When the search and rescue team reached him, he was very exhausted. He was taken to the Donald Fraser hospital for treatment.

Ramashia was discharged on Wednesday morning and returned to his home village of Ha-Luvhimbi near Makonde where his worried family members were waiting. His younger sister, Ms Livhawani Ramashia, said it was one of the hardest periods in her life. When she heard that her brother went missing, she thought he had died, “but I thank God he is alive,” she said.

Ramashia himself was still very rattled by the events of the past week. He said that he had to endure extreme heat during the first two days in the mountain. It then became very cold and he was very relieved when he was rescued on the fifth day.

He said being without food and water for five days was very difficult. “I felt as if I couldn’t see anymore. I’m confident that I only survived because of the grace of God, and I thank God to be alive,” he said.

As for the future, Ramashia is just glad that he managed to collect the herbs that he needed to fetch. He told Limpopo Mirror that he was now ready to use herbs he collected during his ordeal in his ancestral work.

The Limpopo police commissioner, Lt-Gen Nneke Ledwaba, commended the rescue team for their sterling work.

Date:14 December 2019

By: Silas Nduvheni

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