Family members and friends gathered at the rural village of Tshitunguni on Saturday (8th) to celebrate the 100th birthday of granny Vho-Litshani Nemukombame.
Granny Nemukombame was born in Tshitanzhe village near Musunda in 1923 and was known for the exemplary way she raised her children, taking them to church every Sunday and also encouraging them to take education seriously.
Nemukombame was blessed with eight children, namely Sarah (Mainganye), Thihanedzwi, Thanyani, Tshisikhaiwe, Fhumulani, Mmbulaheni, Ntshavheni and Masala. She had to raise some of them as a single mother after her husband, Lungisani Johannes Nemukombame passed away in 1975.
"Life was hard raising children as a single unemployed mother, but I always prayed to God that, one day I will enjoy a better life, like others, if I encourage my children to take education seriously," she said. She has relocated to Tshitunguni village, where she is spending much of her time ploughing in the mealie field near her house.
Granny Nemukombame said she never drank any alcohol in her life, and she is a vegetarian. She enjoys mopani worms and apples. She also believes that one should exercise regularly and go to church every Sunday. She is a member of Thavhakhulu Reformed Church in Tshilamba.
One of her children, Ms Sarah Mainganye Ravele, is the principal of the Lufule Primary School, along the Punda Maria Road from Thohoyandou. She was very excited to be present to celebrate her mother's centenary. She thanked God for allowing her mother such an extended life and said that they all hoped that she still had many more years to live.