A great-grandmother from Carletonville celebrated her 102nd birthday this week.

The house in Barnard Street that Gladys Agnes Joubert shares with her daughter, Charlotte, was a beehive of activity as family gathered for this special day on October 23.

The friendly Joubert told the Herald that she was born in Johannesburg and, from there, moved to Duiwelskloof and then Blyvooruitzicht with her late husband. They then moved to the then Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, before moving back to Carletonville in 1960. They literally saw how the area around Barnard Street developed.

Joubert still looks remarkably young for her age and still does crossword puzzles as well as colouring and painting. She also loves to play card games with family members.

She has five children, Jenny, Marietjie, twin sons Frans and Ollie en Charlotte as well as 11 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Unfortunately, her late husband, Otto, passed away years ago at the age of 84.

“My mother cannot sit still and just cannot do nothing, something that her children and grandchildren inherited from her. She is always busy. She is very positive, loving and never sees something wrong in others,” says Charlotte.

“She loves people and jokes that she does not want to pass away because she does not know who she will play cards with then,” she added.

Her children note that her good age and health seem to have a genetic link, as both men and women in their family tend to live to become very old while still being healthy.