PEDI CULTURE IS DEADLY,IF YOU DO NOT CONFORM YOURSELF ACCORDINGLY YOU DIE.

Written by
Makgato Machaba

This culture is very fascinating and dangerous, Customs and ways in a pedi tradition have rough consequenses after not being conformed and they often revolves around death.

Welcome to the culture of Bapedi people, one of the biggest names you can ever come across in this culture is Kgosi Sekhukhune. The man who fought for the lands and rights of Bapedi people. He reserves hectares of land and people that reside around him. He passed on but the leadership from his clan continued and the history reveals the starting point to the end. See google for more about sekhukhune and kgosi modjadji the rain queen.

The biggest issues in this culture is awareness to the youth to always conform themselves ethically and culturally. One of the elders in Gapane warns the youth to never use this popular words " dia ilwa o hwile" which means the principles and guides of life are desserted. She provoked by any means the parents and elders to teach the youth about Pedi ways and behaviour.
  
She explained the major harmful ways which can end up hurting the pedi society if not taken into consideration. For example, if a teenager sleeps with a married man who lost his wife before 6 month after the death, she will have a desease called "makgoma". This desease is not known by doctors, it is believed to be ancestral believes that turned into a curse. "Makgoma" is a very dangerous desease, Sir DR Alec rossouw explained to the unknown source that, oftentimes this desease also drops the immune system and kills cells, leaving a body to dehydrate and malfunction. It is also confused with HIV/AIDS. Cells drops and the body becomes restless.

In pedi culture, men are not allowed to bury thier friend or even be near the cemetry if they both have children with a same woman and one of them passes on. If one of them goes to the burial, when the coffin of the other one is finally puts to the grave, the other one will die, this also leaves a lot of questions to the elders but culture and tradition cannot be questioned. Ancestors knows this believes.

Many men died after disagreeing with this believe, they tried burying people they cared about and yet sharing children on same woman, and they also died, causing death at a funeral. Similarlarly, if a pedi man has a child with a woman and that woman passes on without that man's knowledge, he will also have " makgoma" and if not cured the man will die.

Bapedi people teaches their children this customs and make sure they know them because they know their culture can be very dangerous. If two ladies get impregnated by same guy, and other lady shout the name of the other pregnant lady during the knight, if she replies, she will die, similar if she throw a piece of stone at the house and she hear that sound, she will die. Two pregnant ladies who got impregnated by same guy should not hear a sound they made themselves at night, because that will results in death.

Many people inlcuding Bapedi people who do not believe in culture where buried. This culture is deadly, if you do not conform yourself accordingly you die.
They is a mountain near warmbath just outside Mookgophong in Modimolle also called "Modimolle", which is 'God Ate Them' translated to english. If you climb that mountain you will never come back, only Bapedi people knows the answer, it is associated with ancestors powers and believed that, climbing that mountain is disrespectful. Many people who believed climbing it will bring treasure in life never came back. In the morning of 12 03 1993 a helicopter of 3 white men tried landing on modimolle mountain, but the pilot explained to the source (23 03 1993) ( Timeslive,jackie pillay) that, they couldnt land because the pressure on the helicopter simply showed that they will collapse into the trees if they forced, and the dust that splits and starts revolving could not let them see what was on the upper of that mountain.

Pedi people in Motlou explained that, we are human beings, and we should stop behaving godly, unforeseen circumstances are warned by ancestors, they reside at mountains, caves and rivers. And if they are disturbed, consequenses will also disturb the human nature. They are snakes that cannot be shot or puts to flames, a white men tried by all means but never won, those are signs of power and domination. Ramaphaga Solomon, a resident said that, "Janie my baas bought a land in Ga malebogo area, but was told by indunas to move a bit far from mountain because it is where ancestors rest, and he denied, he build a big house there but each time he tried to go there and put tile he will find a traditional handmade pots in the house, those pots were beautiful we never knew who made them, i was working for him we will tarnish those pots but the other morning find them again, i had a piece of that pot, but was told by smemenga to throw it away before i see the buttocks of a snake, smemenga is an old man in our area he knows a lot about culture. that unfinished house is still there, nobody ever tried staying there, janie respected culture since then" and Abner Mothopja Phala said " in phadung, they is a tree that no one will ever cross its shadows and live, once the shadow of that tree touches you, its over, thats why we respect this dead people, they guide us. With this power they show us to never undermine their abilities, they was a cave in our nearest mountain of matlabe, we found natural wild fruits there, people started undermining it, they have let woman enter that cave, today if you go there, you might come out crippled or blind, we really upsetted our ancestors, we use to have rain almost every week, but now people are so disrespectful of nature, even if you sing sementhane or matlodi rain will never come, we made our ancestors violent because we angered them, just imagine 14 year olds having sex on our mountain where our ancestors rest, what more can you have?"

 As Bapedi people we know the secrets of super powers. And thus make us respect our super heroes, our ancestors. The elders believes that, they are the dead people who watches upon them.

If a man have children with two ladies, and the other one is in labour, the other lady is prohibited to enter the house of the lady who is in labour because they shared same blood from same man. If they both be in a same room, the one who is in labour will die, Researchers failed to understand this nature. Not even today an explanation was made, it is simply confusing like the common desease of Bapedi children, they are all born with lekona. A desease that is believed to be caused by a high blood pressure. A new born Pedi child is born with this desease naturally. If not cured the child will die. This desease was a believe from old fore fathers who later made it a curse to all pedi people. A deadly virus blood that make a child die in just few hours. You will see a child shooking a head in pains, moving around and crying unbeareably.

Lets talk about two sisters who had sex with a same guy. If that happens, and the other sisters becomes sick, if the other one enters the room of the sick sister she will die. Its about knowing when to stop, what is right and wrong. If not conformed, death is the answer. Consequenses of pedi culture is life. You pay with it. If you sleep around you better know when to stop and how you will know if all the people you sleep with dies, if they die without your knowledge you will follow them.

The basic ones are just knowing that, when someone is sick, and you had sex, you should not enter their room because you will make them worse, you have dirty blood in you and you presence makes things worse. A pregnant girl should not help his sick father or she will make him worse to death. It is a pity when boys dont know you cannot have sex with a girl who just seen her periods, or not knowing sleeping with a pregnant girl will simply kill you. Not if she is still weeks pregnant, she is deadly.

Pedi culture has got a lot of customs and ways in which people should conform themselves. Every information shared here is vital and appeal to all the youth to be very careful of such. The elders are not satisfied with today's generation, they are scared their children will die before they even reach 40's because they claim to know better. Culture was there before this technology. And culture is not a multi functioning device. It will simpli show you flames if you think you are better. Words from the elders in mphahlele.