Exploring the Role of Traditional Medicinal Practitioners in the use of Indigenous Knowledge Methods for the Treatment and Management of HIV/AIDS-related Symptoms: A Case Study of Keates the Drift Community in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal
| dc.contributor.author | Mkhize, Celimpilo | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-10-19T09:51:49Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-10-19T09:51:49Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022 | |
| dc.description | Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Community Work in the Department of Social Work of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Zululand. | |
| dc.description.abstract | It is widely accepted that Africa consumes over 80% of indigenous knowledge (IK) for medical purposes, including the treatment and management of diseases and other illnesses. Due to its accessibility and affordability, Africans continue to rely on and use traditional medicine. This study defined traditional medicinal knowledge as the use of local knowledge in medicine to diagnose, prevent, or eliminate physical and mental problems that community members suffer from to ensure that their conditions are treated and managed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of traditional medicinal practitioners in KwaZulu-Natal Province in the use of indigenous knowledge methods for the treatment and management of HIV/AIDS-related symptoms. Four (4) research objectives guided the study, which examined the sorts of traditional medicinal practitioners, the indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants used to treat and manage illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, and the obstacles faced by traditional medicinal practitioners in treating and managing HIV/AIDS. This study was guided by Asante's Afrocentric model (1998). This hypothesis was used because it recognises and values indigenous knowledge's use of medicinal plants to cure and manage ailments. The interpretive paradigm guided the study procedure. The study employed a qualitative methodology and a case study approach. The data were gathered using a combination of semi-structured interviews and content analysis. To estimate the sample size and frame of traditional medical practitioners from the Keates Drift Community in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, nonprobability sampling approaches such as purposive and snowball sampling were used. A total of 12 traditional medicine practitioners in the Keates Drift Community in the province of KwaZulu-Natal were interviewed. The study's findings indicated that traditional medicinal practitioners reside in the Keates Drift Community, where they display their abilities in, and knowledge of, traditional medicine. Additionally, the findings indicated that traditional medicinal practitioners enjoy widespread respect in the community and are regarded as community physicians. The findings also indicated that diviners (Izangoma) and herbalists are the two categories of traditional medical practitioners found in the Keates Drift Community (Izinyanga). Additionally, traditional herbalists and diviners used medicinal herbs to treat and manage HIV/AIDS related illnesses. Notably, the findings indicated that plant parts such as leaves, barks, stems, and roots were used to treat HIV/AIDS-related illnesses. It was determined that traditional medicinal practitioners did not use human or animal parts to treat illnesses, but instead relied on plants, as the use of human or animal parts is prohibited. vi Concerning the difficulties experienced by traditional medicinal practitioners, the findings indicated that there is no collaboration between them and modern physicians, and that traditional medicinal practitioners are not treated similarly to modern physicians. The study concluded that it is critical to treat traditional healers with respect and to provide them with adequate space to treat and manage HIV/AIDS-related illnesses. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://uzspace.unizulu.ac.za/handle/10530/2486 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.title | Exploring the Role of Traditional Medicinal Practitioners in the use of Indigenous Knowledge Methods for the Treatment and Management of HIV/AIDS-related Symptoms: A Case Study of Keates the Drift Community in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal | |
| dc.type | Thesis |