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The Traditional and Western Healthcare systems are the recognized health systems in South Africa. The two healthcare systems continue to provide healthcare for South African Indigenous communities; therefore, the government’s imbalanced support of the healthcare systems has resulted in Western healthcare receiving extensive support while traditional healthcare receives little to no support despite being regarded as the primary healthcare for most Indigenous communities in the country. In light of this, understanding the strategies for integrating the two healthcare systems may establish an effective and balanced healthcare system that supports the health needs of the indigenous communities. However, there is little research regarding the potential strategies for integration from the indigenous people’s perspective. Therefore, this qualitative study explores strategies for integrating the South African Western and Traditional healthcare systems of the Ndebele indigenous people in the Vezubuhle indigenous community under the Thembisile Hani Local Municipality. The study employed purposive and snowball sampling techniques to sample 17 participants: five traditional health practitioners, 5 elderly Indigenous custodians, and 7 Indigenous community members. The qualitative data was generated using one-on-one semi-structured interviews and analysed using the thematic data analysis technique.

Indigenous communities possess rich traditions of conflict resolution rooted in their cultural values, collective decision-making, and community involvement. However, the imposition of Western legal frameworks and colonial histories has often disrupted these practices, leading to increased tensions and unresolved conflicts. This study explored conflict resolution within Indigenous communities, emphasizing the role of social work in facilitating culturally appropriate processes. The study employed a qualitative approach, incorporating interviews with Indigenous leaders, social workers, and community members, alongside a review of relevant literature on traditional practices and social work interventions. Social workers play a crucial role as facilitators, helping to navigate tensions and bridging gaps between traditional practices and contemporary needs. Challenges include a lack of cultural competency and the need for ongoing community engagement. The integration of Indigenous knowledge systems into conflict resolution practices enhance outcomes and foster healing. Social workers prioritize cultural humility and active listening, ensuring that Indigenous voices lead the resolution process. By supporting the reclamation of traditional conflict resolution methods and advocating for culturally sensitive practices, social workers empowered Indigenous communities, promote resilience, and facilitate more effective conflict resolution. This perspective underscores the necessity of collaboration, respect, and recognition of Indigenous sovereignty in all social work interventions.

Researchers continue to conduct research within South African indigenous communities pertaining indigenous knowledge with little consideration of the existing indigenous research methodologies. This little consideration continues to exist because these indigenous research methodologies are merely taught in universities and the approach that is often used by most university researchers in conducting research on indigenous communities has elements of coloniality such as power that rests on the researchers over the communities where communities are labelled as the researched than contributors. This paper provides reflections on the participatory action research study conducted on the lenses of indigenous research paradigm in Ga-Mamabolo in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The reflections concludes that the indigenous research paradigm offers a suitable roadmap for conducting research in indigenous communities. The contradicting research language between the western and indigenous paradigm is presented to improve the practice of research in indigenous communities. Research in indigenous communities is often conducted with little or no consideration of collaboration with the indigenous people. Thus, this paper contends that the review of existing Western research ethics may lay a foundation for new ethics that are culturally sensitive and promoting collaboration on research that affects the indigenous people.

The study focused on strategies of interfacing traditional health and western in fight against Coronavirus. Experts contend that government agencies and health officials should collaborate with traditional healers rather than oppose them to successfully tackle COVID-19. Various stakeholders appear to be undermining South Africa's traditional health care system, which served as the indigenous people's major source of healthcare. The indigenous health care system and its methods are being demonized by youth and certain scientific institutions because they are linked to witchcraft and other wicked customs. The researcher noticed that, in the twenty-first century, there appeared to be an idea of interfacing Traditional Health Practices (THPs) with Western doctors. It appears that basic healthcare systems were provided by traditional medical professionals in civilizations prior to the arrival of colonialism. The objective of the study was as follows, to determine strategies of interfacing traditional health and western health in the fight against COVID-19, The study adopted an employ African healing theory and appreciative Inquiry. The study used a qualitative research design and was exploratory in nature. Data was generated using observation and semi-structured interviews as data collection instruments. The finding of the study showed that some people consult traditional healers during the night because they do not want to be seen, and some still believe that traditional healers consist of witchcraft. The study recommend that education could make our community conscious of the conventional health care system and work to make youth and scientific groups be able to know and understand the importance of traditional health care system, integration of traditional health and western healthcare system in the fight against coronavirus and Funding traditional health care system.