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  Unraveling the mysteries surrounding a South African medicine man while recognizing a remarkable figure who has been left out of the history books, this biography explores the life of Khotso Sethundsa, an enigmatic herbalist who created an eccentric kingdom around himself—and was rumored to control a large fortune. Legend held that he had spiritual contact with Paul Kruger, and some people claimed that leading Afrikaner nationalist politicians came to him for potions that bestowed sexual and political powers. He also was thought to have a an occult spiritual pact with a mermaid, and even after his death many thought he still exerted a dangerous magic. Featuring interviews with people who knew him, as well as an analysis of the traditional folklore that may have crept into these stories, this book presents the real Khotso Sethundsa, who, despite his lack of occult powers, traveled in high circles all the same. Felicity Wood teaches in the English department at the University of Fort Hare, South Africa. She specializes in collecting Eastern Cape oral narratives that deal with aspects of the supernatural. Michael Lewis is a South African development economist who, in the 1990s, heard stories about a millionaire medicine man, discovered Khotso Sethuntsa, and conducted a series of interviews with people who knew him. |
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