Granny Tshinakaho Mulovhedzi, who turned 100 on 21 August, has a simple recipe for a long life: stay active, eat well, and avoid alcohol and late-night parties. Her advice came straight from the heart during her 100th birthday celebration on Saturday, 4 October, at Ngovhela Back Side village near Phiphidi, just outside Thohoyandou.
Despite rainy and chilly weather, grandchildren, relatives, and community members gathered to honour the village's oldest resident with ululations, clapping, singing, and dancing to gospel and traditional Tshivenda songs.
Born in 1925 and raised in Vuvha la Mulambilu in the Nzhelele area, Granny Mulovhedzi expressed mixed emotions at her milestone. "I would have loved to celebrate this day with my four children, but they have all passed on," she said, reflecting on one of the happiest days of her life.
Speaking to her grandchildren, relatives, and well-wishers who came from near and far, she offered her advice for living longer: "Stop drinking too much alcohol, avoid staying out late, and stay away from womanising. Many people die young because they ignore the guidance of elders," she said.
Granny Mulovhedzi remains active and healthy. At 100, she can still cook, speak clearly, walk, and work in her backyard vegetable garden, tending pumpkins, cabbage, and spinach. "Getting up every morning to work in my garden keeps me fit. I enjoy pap, mopani worms (mashonzha), and locusts (nzie), and I never drink alcohol," she said, adding that she had seen how drinking destroyed young people's futures.
The celebration also highlighted her family ties, connecting the Mulovhedzi family in Ngovhela to relatives in Mulele (Nzhelele), Muledane, Shayandima, Matangari, Vuvha la Mulambilu, and Mbilwi.
A devoted member of the local Roman Catholic Church, she has long supported her community with guidance and financial help. Representing her grandchildren, Ms Matamela Mulovhedzi described her grandmother as a mother and father figure who had cared for her and her siblings after their parents had passed away, and praised her for uniting the family and community.
Granny Mulovhedzi has six grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.