Sihlalo, umthethosivivinywa esixoxa ngawo, i-Traditional Health Practitioners Bill, ngumthethosivivinywa ohlose ukubeka okwesikhashana umkhandlu ozobizwa nge-Traditional Health Practitioners Council. [Chairperson, the Bill we are discussing, ie the Traditional Health Practitioners Bill, is intended to set up a temporary council that will be named the Traditional Health Practitioners Council.]
This Bill will provide a regulatory framework to ensure the efficacy, safety and quality of traditional health care services. It will also provide for management and control of the registration, training and conduct of practitioners, students and specified categories within the traditional health practitioners profession.
Lo Mthethosivivinywa uzophinda uhlelele nezinye izinto ezihambisana nalo mkhakha. Nakuwo lo mthethosivivinywa, ngokunjalo baye bahamba baya kohlola ukusebenza kwenqubo yeningi. Abantu bathe abazange bathintwe mayelana nalo mthethosivivinywa. Kepha mangichaze ukuthi, maqondana nalo mthethosivivinywa futhi ngemuva kwesinqumo esithathiwe, iFreyisitata yenze eyayo imihlangano yokulalela imibono yabantu. IGauteng nayo iye yaphinda yabiza eyayo imihlangano yokulalela imibono yemiphakathi. IKwaZulu-Natali nayo ibize eyayo futhi neLimpopo, Mpumalanga, Nyakatho Kapa, Nyakatho Ntshonalanga, Mpumalanga Kapa kanye neNtshonalanga Kapa.
Mangichaze futhi ukuthi ngenkathi bezikhulumela odokotela bezempilo, laba okuyibona abakade befuna ukuzwa ukuthi amandla oMthethosisekelo ayezwakala yini, bathe bona banexhala ngenxa yalokhu okulandeyo: (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[This Bill will also sort out other issues that are related to this category. Even with this Bill, Members of Parliament acted democratically by going to the people. People said that they were not consulted about the Bill. However, let me explain that with regard to this Bill and after the decision was taken, the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Eastern Cape and Western Cape held their public hearings.
Medical doctors, who wanted to test the strength of the Constitution, raised their concern with regard to the establishment of the council. They said that they have a problem because of the fact that ...]
... traditional healers will have similar status to that of doctors, even though they haven't had any training.
Niyazizwela nani ukuthi badelela izinyanga zethu. [You can hear for yourself that they are insulting our traditional healers.]
Secondly, they have stated that there is no measurable standard for the qualification or training of a traditional healer.
Sizokhumbula ukuthi ukuze umuntu abe yinyanga noma aqale ukubhula, lokho kuyizinto asuke eziphiwe amadlozi noma abaphansi. Uma odokotela laba abangondlebezikhany'ilanga bekhuluma, njengoba kwasho iNkosi yethu yamaZulu, uShaka, bathi, ngamanye amazwi, izinyanga zethu ngeke zikwazi ukuthola iziqu ezingama-qualifications uma sezelapha. Phezu kwalokho, bathi lo mthetho ... (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[We will remember that for a person to become a traditional healer, he/she must have been approved by the ancestors to do that. When the doctors who are using the Western medicine talk, they say that our traditional healers will not get medical qualifications, which will allow them to practise medicine. Furthermore, they say that this Bill ...]
... precludes accountability on the part of traditional healers by providing for communication with ancestral spirits in traditional health practice.
Ngithemba nokuthi lokhu kungokunye kwezindlela lapho sizibona khona sidelelwa, njengabantu. Nizokhumbula ukuthi iningi laba abelapha ngokwendabuko yizangoma, yizinyanga futhi abanye baphiwe ngokomoya. Uma sibeka imikhandlu efana nale kufana nokuthi sihlehlisela inqubo yethu yentando yeningi emuva. Kuyacaca ukuthi odokotela laba abawahloniphi amasiko abanye abantu. Abanye abelungu nabo bayaya kubelaphi bendabuko. Odokotela-ke laba abakwamukeli ukuthi umuntu kuyenzeka athande ukuya kokwelashwa ngenye indlela, ngaphandle kokuya kokwelashwa ngudokotela.
Ngakho-ke ngithemba ukuthi, njengoba siwuvuma lo mthetho namhlanje, kuzoba lula ukuthi uMnyango Wezempilo ukwazi ukubeka kahle uMkhandlu Wezabelaphi Bendabuko ukuze uqale-ke manje ukuthi uhambe isifunda ngesifunda uye kobona bonke odokotela abelaphayo okungaba yizingcibi, izangoma noma-ke kube yilabo ababhulayo, ukuze nabo babe nendawo lapho bengasebenzela khona noma bakwazi ukwamukelwa ngokomthetho nguhulumeni. Lokho kuzosiza ngokuthi uma nami kade ngiye enyangeni yami ngikwazi ukuthola isitifiketi. Angazi ukuthi sizozibiza sithini lezo zitifiketi, MaNyanda, kodwa kuzobe kungama-medical certificates ngoba kuze kube yimanje yilaba abamhlophe kuphela abasabhala lezo zitifiketi.
Nathi-ke sesizokwazi manje ukuthi uma kade uye kobona inyanga, yafike yakupha amakhathakhathana akho okuthi ufike ekhaya uphalaze noma uchathe, kuthi uma usubuyela emsebenzini nawe ufike uveze-ke incwadi yakho eshoyo ukuthi, "Cha bengiyile nami kudokotela. Udokotela uye wathi ngibofika ekhaya ngenze ukuthi nokuthi. Bengihluleka ukuma ngezinyawo, ngakho-ke angikwazanga ukuza emsebenzini."
Sihlalo, ngalokho-ke bengithanda ukuthi umbiko wekomidi wamukelwe. Siyabonga. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[I think this is just another way of looking down upon us, as people. You will remember that most of the people who use traditional medicine are traditional healers and those who are guided by the spirits. They say that if we were to establish such councils now, it would be like we are reversing our democracy. It is clear that these Western medical doctors do not obey other people's traditions. Even other whites do go to these traditional healers. These doctors do not accept the fact that a person could get alternative treatment without actually having to go to them. I therefore hope that if we agree to adopt this Bill today, it would be easy for the Department of Health to establish this Traditional Health Practitioners Council to enable the department to go from province to province to see all the doctors who may be foretellers, traditional healers, etc, so that they also have a place where they can work or get approval from government. I do not know what those certificates would be called though, but they will be medical certificates because even now those certificates are issued to the doctors who practise Western medicine.
We would also be able to produce a medical certificate at work if we have been to the traditional healer to get some traditional medication. You would be able to tell your supervisor that you have been to the doctor, so you could not come to work because you were sick. Chairperson, I propose that we adopt this committee report. Thank you.]
Thank you, hon member. That concludes the debate. I shall now put the question. The question is that the report be adopted. As the decision is dealt with in terms of section 65 of the Constitution, I shall first ascertain whether all delegation heads are present in the Chamber.
In accordance with Rule 71, I shall first allow provinces an opportunity to make their declarations of vote if they so wish. Is there any province that wants to make a declaration?
We shall now proceed to the voting in alphabetical order. Eastern Cape?
Siyaxhasa. [We support.]
Free State?
Supports.
Gauteng?
Supports.
KwaZulu-Natal?
Mr Z C NTULI (KwaZulu-Natal): KwaZulu-Natal elethu. [KwaZulu-Natal supports.]
Limpopo?
Limpopo ondersteun. [Limpopo supports.]
Mpumalanga?
iMpumalanga iyasekela. [Mpumalanga supports.]
Northern Cape?
Northern Cape supports.
North West?
North West ke ya rona. [North West supports.]
Western Cape?
Wes-Kaap ondersteun. [Western Cape supports.]
All nine provinces have voted in favour. I therefore declare the Bill agreed to in terms of section 65 of the Constitution.
Bill accordingly agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.