African Spiritualism

Embracing the multilayered belief systems of the peoples of Africa is an essential aspect of embracing our collective though diversified Africanness.

Umsamo African Institute (UAI) subjects itself to the age-old and current indigenous knowledge and belief systems of the peoples of Africa as well as of those in the African Diaspora.

Our central THESIS on African spiritualism is that long before colonial conquest, Africans believed in gods and deities through which they kept themselves spiritually centered.

One of the key tenets of African Spiritualism is the ongoing quest for wisdom and humility to respect the diversity of one another’s ways of spiritual being.

Secondly, at the heart of African Spiritualism is the overriding notion of sharing and learning from one another. It is about promoting a communal and caring spiritualism in which no one is subjected to oppression, annihilation and isolation simply because of differences in spiritual belief systems.

The UAI will be engaging bearers of indigenous and oral knowledge as well as formally-schooled individuals and like-minded institutions to continuously and rigorously engage with one another to enhance the understanding and acceptance of African Spirituality in Africa and other parts of the world.

In Africa the importance of acknowledging the collective ownership and betterment knowledge is paramount. So is the idea that elders, sages and ordinary members of society also have a pivotal role in protecting and advancing knowledge.

Our quest for African Spiritualism is more than merely calling for a return to roots. Instead it is about critiquing the past, the present and the future with the aim of fostering and supporting the symbolic birth of an astute and dynamic set of belief systems in which African history, thought and heritage are sources of inspiration and not disdain and marginalisation.

African Spiritualism is a strategy or a philosophy for both individuals and Business, which will help in the linking of the Spiritual world with the real world we live and work in. Its base will be the Ancestral Spirits that drives us ALL and the Business itself.

If Africa is the cradle of humanity, all belief systems the world over owe their genesis in one way or another to the richness and diversity of the belief systems of the peoples of Africa going back to countless millennia.

Dr Victor Velaphi Otty Mkhize

By

Prof Sibusiso Masondo, Associate Professor: African Religion, Culture and Philosophy,
School of Religion Philosophy and Classics, University of KwaZulu-Natal
It is my honour to make this presentation about Dr VVO Mkhize. It must be noted that
through all phases of his life, from being a school teacher, a radio presenter, an executive, a
lecturer, and a healer, he has promoted the IsiZulu language and practices. In this short
statement, I will take you through all phases of his life and his intellectual contribution, as
well as, his impact on society.

Background and education
Dr Mkhize was born in a Catholic-practicing family at Glebelands in Durban and grew up at
Mpendle in the Natal Midlands under the care of his uncle Vimba. He was born with a veil
and his mother was often told, when growing up, that he would become a great person. The
story as told by her mother is that nurses at the hospital told his mother that he was born still
inside an amniotic sac (isigubhu somhlwehlwe).

He started his Primary education at Glebelands Primary School but his grandmother passed
away while he was in his third year of schooling. She had instructed his uncle that he must
fetch him from Durban and raise him at Mpendle. For Standard 1 to Standard 4, he attended
St Gertrude’s Mission School, and for Standards 5 and 6 he went to Ncwadi Bantu
Community School. In his Standard 6 class, he was one of three students who passed and the
rest of the class of twelve had to repeat.

He proceeded to KwaMpande Secondary where did Form 1 to Form 3. In 1973 he went to
Vukuzakhe High School in Umlazi to complete his Matric. In 1976 he went to the University
of Zululand but due to political disturbances as a result of the June 16 Soweto uprisings the
university was closed. He returned to the university in 1977 to do his BA majoring in IsiZulu
and Afrikaans, he added two other subjects as non-majors- Philosophy and Linguistics. Doing
Philosophy was strange and he cannot explain why he did it at the time. Some of his peers
questioned the wisdom of doing Philosophy as there were no employment or career
prospects. The significance of doing three years of Philosophy only became clear to him after
accepting the call. Amakhehla (ancestral spirits) explained to him that the type of work he
would be doing requires deep thought and understanding.

Due to a lack of funds, he was offered a job to teach Afrikaans at Vukuzakhe. In 1980 he was
offered a bursary to do Honours in Afrikaans which he passed with distinction in one year. It
was a strange occurrence that led to him doing an MA in Orality and Literacy Studies at the
University of Natal. Professors ER Sieneart and Taylor approached Radio Zulu, where he
was working as a broadcaster, to promote their new Master’s program. It was at that point
where saw an opportunity to advance his education. After completing the MA, Prof Sieneart
encouraged him to enrol for a PhD which he completed in two years in 1992. The title of his
thesis was “The Spoken and the Written Word: Stylistic Creation in Black Broadcasting”.
While working at Spoornet, he met someone from Cameroon who told him about the MBA
program at Hull University. He then contacted Hull and finished it in one year.

Intellectual endeavours
It is important to note that Dr Mkhize is an organic intellectual with a passion for research
and writing. He has an inquiring mind without any fear of exploring ideas that are contrary to
his and those of his community and upbringing. Dr Mkhize is a consultant on Umsamo
Philosophy and is highly regarded as an authority on African traditions, culture, values,
ancestral wisdom, and African healing. He has been invited to testify in court on issues that
involve aspects of African culture on numerous occasions. Mkhize faces a similar dilemma to
the one faced by the Afrikania Mission in Ghana of “reviving the ‘authentic’ religion in a
public sphere that is dominated by Western culture and Christianity” 1 . In a religious media
space that is dominated by Christianity and Western culture, Mkhize has managed to find
space to disseminate his message through radio, television, YouTube, and Facebook. He
writes a column on Umsamo matters for Isolezwe Newspaper and has a program on Ukhozi
FM called Ingono Yomsamo, recently he has launched a YouTube channel where he discusses
Umsamo and related issues. He has a visible footprint on Facebook with a page dedicated to
Fans of Dr VVO Mkhize 2 . Mkhize equates what he does to what people like Pythagoras did
in Western Philosophy. He was raised as a Catholic in a context where African rituals and
wisdom were valued. It is not that there were people who taught his customs and tradition but
he learnt most things through observation and participating in what was happening in his
community. There was a clear separation between Catholic practice and African practices in
the way things were done in his family. Such an attitude made him have an appreciation for
the Bible and its teachings. In his book Umsamo amathongo nemithetho elishumi
kaNkulunkulu, he reflects on the relationship between Umsamo philosophy and the Ten

Commandments in the Bible 3 .
Mkhize is passionate about writing and the preservation of African knowledge systems. He
has authored several books on various aspects of African religious and cultural heritage. On
many occasions, he has underscored the importance of African intellectuals taking a leading
role in the writing of African history. It is his considered opinion that African history is
incomplete without a sustained and systematic contribution by African scholars. However, he
does not discount the contribution of other scholars. In 2013 Mkhize delivered a Dr JL Dube
memorial lecture on the contribution of Dr Dube in the preservation and promotion of the
IsiZulu language. This lecture was the first of its kind in the history of the University of
KwaZulu Natal as the whole lecture was delivered in IsiZulu. The School of Religion
Philosophy and Classics appointed him as an honorary lecturer and invited him to give
lectures on his area to students on several occasions.
Uhlanya (ukuhlanya [divine madness] best describes the experience of being possessed and
used by the ancestors to assist people who present with problems to them. “Nombeko
explained: ‘… a person may be mental just because [pause] she wants to, he or she wants to
be a doctor [pause] like me [softly] …’ thereby linking the calling to become a ‘doctor’ to
mental illness” 4 . For Mkhize to embrace a concept that carries a lot of stigma to describe who

1 de Witte, Marleen. 2004. “Afrikania's Dilemma: Reframing African Authenticity in a Christian Public”.
Etnofoor, 17(1/2): 137.
2 Fans of Dr VVO Mkhize https://web.facebook.com/Fans-Of-Dr-VVO-Mkhize-Updates-100673276301683.
3 Mkhize, VVO. 2020. Senza okuphambene nemithetho eyishumi yobuntu bomuntu. August 26, 2020.
https://www.isolezwe.co.za/imibono/senza-okuphambene-nemithetho-eyishumi-yobuntu-bomuntu-f5cf6f21-
1906-410b-a318-bd00008a38d9 Accessed 3 May 2023.

he is and what he does is incredible. Often people with such mental conditions are not
understood by society and so are the indigenous healers. Their work often involves
navigating between physical and spiritual realms.
Impact on Society

It is noteworthy that Dr Mkhize through his effort has managed to (a) distribute important
works that educate old and young Africans on salient matters related to their religion,
customs, culture, and traditions, and (b) preserved and promoted the IsiZulu language.
Because of his eloquence and charisma, his Facebook, TV show Ingono Yomsamo 5 on SABC
1, and YouTube channels have had a lot of traffic and positive feedback from mostly young
people. Weekly Mkhize reaches millions of people through his program Ingono Yomsamo on
Ukhozi FM and his column on Isolezwe newspaper 6 since 2008. From time-to-time Ilanga
Newspaper ask him to write editorial pieces on topical issues on religion and culture 7 . He is
one of the experts who are consulted by various news outlets on traditional matters.
Mlambomunye has become not only a healing centre but also a centre of learning.

Published Works
Mkhize, VVO. 1987. Ithonsi lomkholongo. JL van Schaik Publishers. ISBN: 0627015328,
9780627015328
Mkhize, VVO. 1991. Umnyama omnyama. Reach Out Publishers. ISBN: 9781868511730.

Mkhize, VVO. 2009. Umsamo the new African Business Literacy. Knowres Publishing

Mkhize, VVO. 2009. Imfihlo yomthandazo. Shuter and Shooter. ISBN: 9780796068668.

Mkhize, VVO. 2009. Umsamo: Iziko Lamathongo. Umsamo African Institute.

Mkhize, VVO. 2010. Personal Growth African Style (Co-authored with Nussbaum and
Palsule). The Penguin Group. ISBN-10: 0143026380, ISBN-13: 978-0143026389

Mkhize, VVO. 2011 Imfihlo yomsamo nezinkolo zomhlaba. Umsamo African Institute. ISBN:
0620501189, 9780620501187.

Mkhize, VVO. 2012 Umsamo amathongo nemithetho elishumi kaNkulunkulu. Umsamo
African Institute. ISBN: 0987021206, 9780987021205.

Mkhize, VVO. 2013. Umsamo: Nomhlahlo wezangoma. South African Healers Association.
ISBN: 0620560304, 9780620560306

Mkhize, VVO. 2017. Umsamo nodengezi: Ukukhuluma nokuxhumana nemimoya yabalele.
Umsamo Institute. ISBN, 0620741104, 9780620741101.

4 Van der Watt ASJ, Biederman SV, Abdulmalik JO, Mbanga I, Das-Brailsford P, Seedat S. 2021. “Becoming a
Xhosa traditional healer: The calling, illness, conflict and belonging”. South African Journal of Psychiatry.
27(0): a1528. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v27i0.1528

5 Tebele, Mbali 2022. “Dr VVO Mkhize brings spiritual healing to SABC1”. Daily Sun 6 September 2022, accessed
on 15 April 2024.

6 Media update. 2009. “Isolezwe columnist explains Zulu traditions” Media update 16 March 2009

7 Mkhize, VVO 2021. “Maningi amasonto azaleke ngokuhlubuka kwabathile”. Ilanga 21 June 2021.
https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/ilanga/20210621/281651078067619, accessed 15 April 2024.

Mkhize, VVO. 2018 Umsamo nezibi zezala. Umsamo African Institute. ISBN: 0620788860,
9780620788861.

Mkhize, VVO. 2019. Umsamo: Ingono nenkaba. Umsamo Institute. ISBN: 0620788860,
9780620788861.

Mkhize, VVO. Umsamo nenjula yezimfundiso zika Jesu. Umsamo Institute