Gogo Skotheni gets baptised
Gogo Skhotheni, the reality TV star and DJ known offstage as Tumi Motsoeneng, has marked a profound spiritual transformation by getting baptised on her 33rd birthday.
Once a prominent sangoma, she has made the life-altering decision to renounce ubungoma and embrace Christianity fully.
Sharing the news with her followers on social media, Gogo Skhotheni posted a video of her baptism alongside a heartfelt reflection on her spiritual journey.
“Today marks the most sacred turning point of my life, and it’s no coincidence that it happens on my birthday,” she wrote.
“I once walked a path deeply rooted in ancestral calling as a sangoma, seeking truth and healing the only way I knew. But in the quiet cries of my soul, Jesus found me. He called me out of the shadows and into His marvellous light.”
Her post expressed deep gratitude and surrender.
“I have laid down the bones, the beads, and the burdens, and in return I have received grace, peace and eternal life. Through baptism, I have died to my old self and risen with Christ. This is not only a new chapter, it is a whole new life.”
“I am no longer who I was. On the very day I was born into this world, I have now been born again in spirit. Reborn, redeemed and restored by the blood of Jesus. To Him be all the glory.”
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Following her renunciation of traditional practices, videos of her passionately leading church congregations in worship, dressed in a white form-fitting dress, quickly went viral.
In one of the clips, she is seen preaching and praying aloud, saying, “Lord, we are asking for forgiveness for our sins. We are praying for our households. Send down your angels.”
Despite facing criticism and backlash from some members of the traditional healing community, including former initiates, she has remained resolute in her newfound faith.
“This is real,” she told TshisaLIVE, affirming her decision to host online prayer sessions, the first of which is scheduled for May 17.
“I’m not willing to change my stage name because I’ve worked hard for the Skhotheni brand, not only as a sangoma but as an entrepreneur and DJ, so I am not going to change it any time soon. I won’t listen to anyone rushing me to do it,” she said.
Her journey hasn’t been without emotional toll. Responding to criticism from her initiates, she admitted it was painful to witness the negativity, especially from those she considered her spiritual children.
“They need help more than I do. I am 10 times ahead with my mental health so it doesn’t break me. It hurts because these are people I’ve taken as my own children, so seeing such hurts me, but that does not stop me being myself. We move on.”
