Traditional Healers’ Council of Zimbabwe

Record summary

Zimbabwe’s post-independence organization and regulation of traditional healers, especially through ZINATHA and related state initiatives, created a documented setting for comparing divination, herbal medicine, spirit mediumship, and professional legitimacy. The lead matters because it shows how esoteric or healing expertise was reorganized as a public profession rather than remaining solely within lineage or shrine structures. Researchers should identify the relevant legislation, association records, interviews, and health-policy documents. “Traditional healer” covered diverse practitioners and should not be treated as synonymous with witchcraft.