GOGO Monase Lushaba not only experienced the birth and brutality of apartheid, she grew up in poverty.
As if that was not enough, she also went through the grief of losing her husband and four of her five children.
These hardships, says the oldest resident of Mangweni, near Malalane in Mpumalanga, was enough to land her in the grave. But she is still alive and on 7 August she celebrated her 116th birthday with family and friends.
“I could have dwelled on the past and it would have given me a heart attack and eventually killed me,” she said.
“But I chose to be positive. I chose to live as best as I possibly could.
“That is the reason I am still alive today,” she said. “That is the secret of my longevity.”
Gogo Monase was born on 7 August 1900. She has 23 grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren.
She said besides living a positive life she also ate a lot of vegetables, which helped to keep her eyes, ears and mind sharp and her body healthy.
Her grandson, Sunnyboy Khoza (56), said Gogo Monase’s good genes have been passed on to all of them.
“All her siblings lived up to 100.
“We are happy to celebrate gogo’s long life,” he said.