Granny celebrates her 101st birthday with family
Madithapa said eating a lot of vegetables helped her to stay strong and healthy.
A Mamelodi West granny celebrated her 101st birthday party with family and neighbours recently.
Emily Maropeng Madithapa is still active, strong and still does most of the house chores herself.
She celebrated her birthday at her house at Mamelodi West, section B3 on 1 January.
Surrounded by her family members and neighbours on her birthday, she was still hands on and wanted to help with the preparations of her special day.
Born in Limpopo, Madithapa moved to Mamelodi in the early 1950s, got married and was blessed with eight children.
Besides losing her husband Madithapa, she has lived a very fulfilling life without taking any alcohol or smoking.
She survived by selling veggies to feed her children.
“There was no day off for me,” she said.
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“I am always the first person to wake up and prepare myself before going out to sell veggies.”
She said she grew up eating healthy and never touched any alcohol in her life.
While sharing her stories on how she grew up, she advised her grandchildren and great children to respect their elders and to love one another.
Madithapa said eating a lot of vegetables helped her to stay strong and healthy.
His daughter, Salome de Bruyn said her mother was a loving person, but very disciplined.
“She is very good with children and raised almost all her grandchildren. Everyone love her in the community.”
Salome said her mother was always strong and healthy and just started going to the clinic three years ago for chronic diseases.
She prefers not to take a taxi to the clinic but walk herself, but she is currently struggling with eyesight.
Today she has 32 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren and among her eight children four has passed away.
Madithapa loves watching TV and walks a lot around the community.
Her children loves her a lot and most of them come to her for advice.
She continues to watch her diet and stays away from salty or sugary food. Veggies and maize meal are her favourites.
“The birthday celebration is a way of showing her that we really love and appreciate her for raising us and our children throughout these years and she must continue doing that,” said Salome.
Madithapa’s birthday wish is to continue living a healthy and strong life and to advise the youth to stay away from drugs and eat healthy.
Her daughter Annah Madithapa stays with her and takes care of her every day.
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