Legendary traditional healer Shikhavele Frank Chauke dies aged 92

Benson Ntlemo

Legendary traditional healer Xikhavele Frank Chauke who has a big family of 13 wives, 78 children and 11 grandchildren has died aged 92.
The death of the well-known traditional healer who was also a community leader was confirmed by his son Zondi Chauke today.
“My father passed on at Malamulele Hospital yesterday after being admitted at the hospital three days previously,”he said.

Chauke was a highly respected figure headed the Gazankulu Traditional Healers Association that had branches in several parts of the country including Pretoria, Rustenburg, Tzaneen and Phalaborwa.
His association was used by him as a front for the ANC starting from prior to 1990 when he worked with ANC activists like Pharaphara Motupi in underground activities.

ANC Collins Chabane chairman Dorgen Ndove who is the local ward councillor spoke highly of the late traditional healer.
“He was a very hard working and selfless man who worked tirelessly for our freedom. During the struggle for liberation he assisted many comrades who were to leave the country and during the period after 1990 he assisted in mobilising for the ANC. In later years he assisted members of the local branch with transport to meetings and also made donations to assist the organisation, “said Ndove who was the leader of the Samora Moises Machel branch that honoured Chauke in 2017.

As a leader his organisation, each year traditional healers congregated at their headquarters at Nwamatatane where they discussed different topics.
He did not leave the democratic government behind.
He was one of the traditional healers who attended Aids awareness courses organised by the department of health and were given certificates.
He took delight in that he appeared in the same issue of Pace Magazine with the late legend Nelson Mandela.

Although illiterate he was a highly successful man who at one time had 7 shops.
He recently sold three and remained with four which he hired out because of his busy schedule as a traditional healer and community involvement.
Funeral arrangements were not yet finalised by today.