It’s a big problem, if the child has no family, no nothing, it is better to give them to the government

None of the sangomas I spoke to were openly against formal adoption, however, they all had concerns about the fact that the ancestors of the child and the adoptive parents were unrelated.

• None of the sangomas I spoke to were openly against formal adoption, however, they all had concerns about the fact that the ancestors of the child and the adoptive parents were unrelated.

• This was seen as something that needed to be managed proactively, consulting with one’s ancestors was seen as critical, letting them guide you as a family was the only way to ensure their support of the process.

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