Mahlangu family celebrates Gogo Maria’s 100th birthday
Gogo Maria of Vosloorus has raised a family that spans four generations and has lived a life full of resilience, love, and laughter.
When the Mahlangu family gathers on December 13 to celebrate Maria Mahlangu’s 100th birthday, they will be honouring far more than a milestone. They are celebrating a century-long legacy of resilience, compassion, and quiet strength.
Born on December 10, 1925, in Swanskraal, Mpumalanga, Gogo Maria has lived through some of South Africa’s most defining eras, from a childhood on farms to raising a large family in Vosloorus, to surviving the Covid-19 pandemic.
Her oldest son, 80-year-old Sipho Mahlangu, says his mother’s life “reads like a map of South Africa’s past hundred years. She has lived a full century of movement and survival.”
Gogo Maria grew up with her twin brother Johannes, affectionately known as “Links.”
“They were inseparable. Johannes passed away in 2007. Gogo herself later had a set of twins, although one passed away.”
Her early life involved constant movement between KwaNdebele’s Wagendrift and the Dindela farms, now called Edenvale. “We lived a traditional, hardworking life.”
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In 1963, the family was relocated by the government to Vosloorus because her late husband, Samuel Mahlangu, who worked in the Boksburg area. There, Gogo Maria and her husband, raised 11 children — nine boys and two girls. Six are still alive today, the youngest now 58.
“Our home grew around her. My father passed away in the late 1970s, but she kept everything going.”
Today, the Mahlangu family spans 64 grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
The provider, the matriarch
Sipho described his mother as a tireless provider. “She was a domestic worker, a part-time farmer, and even made brooms to bring in extra money. She was a hard worker, a true rock.”
He added: “My mother is kind, humble, and loving. She’s the advisor in the family, and she’s the only surviving sibling out of six. Her older sister even lived to 107.”
The family believes her longevity comes from her disciplined lifestyle.
“She never drank alcohol. She loved her tea and preferred room-temperature water. Funny enough, she was known across the area for making the best traditional beer.”
“She also kept a thriving vegetable garden and enjoyed traditional foods like pap and African spinach. These days, she surprisingly enjoys Mexican-style pizza.”
One of the most emotional moments of her life came during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We were terrified when she got Covid. But she was strong, stronger than all of us. She relied on natural herbs and fought until she recovered.”
Her health today remains remarkably good. “She saw her doctor last week, and the doctor was praising her strength. At 100, she has no major health problems, just the small pains of old age. She has a clean bill of health.”
The keeper of memory and the heart of generations
To the Mahlangu family, Gogo Maria is more than their eldest relative. She is their storyteller, their historian, and the heart of four generations.
“She teaches us how to cook, she advises us, she jokes with us. Even yesterday she was instructing us on how to make traditional beer. She keeps us connected to where we come from.”
As the family prepares for her 100th birthday celebration, they see the moment as sacred and deeply meaningful. “We’ve been waiting for this day for a very long time. After everything she has survived, reaching 100 is God’s grace. She’s our anchor. We are blessed to still have her.”
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