A new facility in northern KwaZulu-Natal plans to regulate and expand the traditional medicine sector and become both an economic driver as well as a conservation hub, reports The Mercury.
The Empilweni Traditional Health Practitioners (THP) Warehouse project, launched last week in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park by Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) MEC Musa Zondi, will monitor and manage the supply of medicinal plants and animal by-products while supporting traditional health practitioners with legally sourced, quality-controlled materials.
Zondi said the hub would centralise the storage and distribution of medicinal plants, seeds, and processed materials, with all products certified and traceable. It will also manage permit verification and compliance.
Academics say the initiative could unlock significant economic potential.
Professor Ngceba Gqaleni of the University of KwaZulu-Natal said traditional medicine remains an undervalued industry, despite its scale.
“It has an important economic value to our country, and is estimated to be worth about R20bn a year,” he said. “And with cannabis coming on board, we think this industry is going to grow.”
Gqaleni, who was commissioned by the provincial government between 2014 and 2016 to develop a strategy for the sector, said the current initiative builds on earlier research that identified traditional medicine as a viable agro-processing industry.
“We believe it is possible to create an agro-processing [sector]… to create a factory to produce tablets, not just products wrapped in newspaper or bottles, but properly packaged,” he said.
He outlined a broader value chain that includes cultivation, manufacturing, and research, and also pointed to ongoing work aimed at integrating traditional medicine into formal healthcare systems. He said research teams are currently conducting clinical trials on herbal treatments developed by local practitioners.
“If the product gets registered and the science is good, we have a blockbuster product. It’s going to disrupt the industry,” he said.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife CEO Sihle Mkhize said the Empilweni centre will function as more than a warehouse. It would include a permitting system, a research and library component, and a nursery where medicinal plants are cultivated and traditional healers are trained in sustainable harvesting practices.
The centre is expected to be fully operational within a week, with plans to expand into a provincial network of distribution points over the next five years.
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