A few years ago, while unwell, Vho Vele Phillip Ramukhuvhathi told his pastor that his only prayer was to live to 100. His wish was fulfilled when he passed away peacefully earlier this month at that exact age.
Born on 9 September 1925 at Khubvi Tshiseluselu, Vho Ramukhuvhathi took his last breath on 4 October and was laid to rest a week later at Khubvi village.
The funeral, a celebration of a life well lived, drew mourners from across Limpopo, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. A staunch member of the Faith Assemblies International Church, he was described as a walking encyclopaedia and a source of wisdom to many. Remarkably, he wrote his own obituary in 2018 and asked that it be read unedited at his funeral — a wish honoured by his family.
After spending his childhood herding goats, he completed Standard 6 at Tshidimbini and moved to Johannesburg in 1948. He worked for several companies before retiring in 1992 and returning home, where he started small businesses selling clothes, eggs and vegetables from his own orchard, and built up a herd of cattle.
Family member Humbulani Nefale thanked everyone who had supported the family. "Although we are mourning, we are also celebrating this giant who was blessed with many years of life," he said.
Representing the Khubvi traditional leadership, Vhakoma Vho Tshaka said the village had lost a pillar of wisdom. "We depended on Vho Ramukhuvhathi for advice whenever we faced challenges. Now that he is gone, we will remain poorer as our dictionary is no more."
As his casket was lowered into the graveyard, specially made balloons bearing the number 100 were released into the sky — a final tribute to a century-long life well lived.