GOGO IN A MILLION
YOU
PEOPLE
GOGO IN A MILLION
Johanna Ramatse was born in 1883 – three years before gold was discovered in Johannesburg and 16 years before the Anglo Boer War broke out. Her youngest child, who’s 84, is one of her two sur viving children.
At 130 she’s the oldest person in SA – but Johanna doesn’t think she’s all that important By KOKETSO MASHIKA Picture: PAPI MORAKE
S
HE’s outlived most of her children, many of her grandchildren and even some of her great-grandchildren. At just over 130 years old, Johanna Ramatse is the oldest living person in South Africa, according to the department of home affairs. What’s her secret to living such a long life? “God and belief – there’s nothing more important. I also eat a lot of wild spinach. I like meat but have never eaten pork.” And on abstinence: “Don’t rush into sex.” Johanna, who was born in January 1883, has survived the Anglo Boer War and both World Wars and lived through apartheid. Yet the centenarian of Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, doesn’t think she’s anything special. “There are more important people you can talk to. I’m not that important,” she tells us. Sunlight beams into the pink bedroom where Johanna sits with her daughter Wil-
helmina Phiri (91). They share the home with seven grand- and great-grandchildren. “We come from a family of strong women. Even my grandmother lived well into old age,” Wilhelmina says. “My great-grandmother used to cover my grandmother’s body with cow dung, which was removed only when it was dry. This helped strengthen the muscles,” she says. Johanna adds earnestly, “Carrying teachings from our elders is also important – we did as we were told without question.” Johanna was the firstborn in a family of 11 children, who have all since died. She herself had 10 children – eight of them have passed away, with only her second-born daughter, Wilhelmina, and her youngest child, Lizzy Ramatse (84), still alive. Johanna’s husband, Johannes Ramatse, died in 1953 when she was 70 and she can’t recall how many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren she has. It’s understandable, considering Wilhelmina alone has 16 children and 36 grandchildren. Johanna may be frail but for 130 her health
is quite good. She’s able to get up by herself but needs a wheelchair to move around. She admits her hearing is deteriorating. Her answers come in a mixture of English, Afrikaans and Setswana but it’s possible to understand what she says. Her memory might not be as sharp but she’s able to recall major historical events. “Too many people died in the war,” she says when we ask if she remembers World War 1. “I don’t like talking about it. We lost our aunts and uncles.” But her face lights ups when she talks about her primary school days at Seponyane in Rooiwal, near Klerksdorp. She recalls how one of her teachers used to discipline the class back in 1893, when she was 10. “If you forgot what she taught you the previous day she’d hit you with the duster on the tip of your fingers! It was so painful but it sharpened my memory,” she says with a chuckle. President Jacob Zuma recently held an International Day for the Elderly, where Johanna and other women met him. “I’d like to meet him again. He’s such a nice man and a great dancer.” S
A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES Some of the historic events during Johanna’s lifetime: 1883: Johanna is born the same year the quagga is declared extinct. 1886: Gold is discovered in Johannesburg.
26 | 21 NOVEMBER 2013 you.co.za
1899: The Anglo Boer War breaks out. 1912: The Titanic sinks. 1914: World War 1 breaks out. 1923: SA has its first radio broadcast.
1939: World War 2 breaks out. 1990: Nelson Mandela is released from jail – Johanna is 107 years old. 1994: At 111 years old she gets to vote for the first time in her life.
PEOPLE
GOGO IN A MILLION
Johanna Ramatse was born in 1883 – three years before gold was discovered in Johannesburg and 16 years before the Anglo Boer War broke out. Her youngest child, who’s 84, is one of her two sur viving children.
At 130 she’s the oldest person in SA – but Johanna doesn’t think she’s all that important By KOKETSO MASHIKA Picture: PAPI MORAKE
S
HE’s outlived most of her children, many of her grandchildren and even some of her great-grandchildren. At just over 130 years old, Johanna Ramatse is the oldest living person in South Africa, according to the department of home affairs. What’s her secret to living such a long life? “God and belief – there’s nothing more important. I also eat a lot of wild spinach. I like meat but have never eaten pork.” And on abstinence: “Don’t rush into sex.” Johanna, who was born in January 1883, has survived the Anglo Boer War and both World Wars and lived through apartheid. Yet the centenarian of Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, doesn’t think she’s anything special. “There are more important people you can talk to. I’m not that important,” she tells us. Sunlight beams into the pink bedroom where Johanna sits with her daughter Wil-
helmina Phiri (91). They share the home with seven grand- and great-grandchildren. “We come from a family of strong women. Even my grandmother lived well into old age,” Wilhelmina says. “My great-grandmother used to cover my grandmother’s body with cow dung, which was removed only when it was dry. This helped strengthen the muscles,” she says. Johanna adds earnestly, “Carrying teachings from our elders is also important – we did as we were told without question.” Johanna was the firstborn in a family of 11 children, who have all since died. She herself had 10 children – eight of them have passed away, with only her second-born daughter, Wilhelmina, and her youngest child, Lizzy Ramatse (84), still alive. Johanna’s husband, Johannes Ramatse, died in 1953 when she was 70 and she can’t recall how many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren she has. It’s understandable, considering Wilhelmina alone has 16 children and 36 grandchildren. Johanna may be frail but for 130 her health
is quite good. She’s able to get up by herself but needs a wheelchair to move around. She admits her hearing is deteriorating. Her answers come in a mixture of English, Afrikaans and Setswana but it’s possible to understand what she says. Her memory might not be as sharp but she’s able to recall major historical events. “Too many people died in the war,” she says when we ask if she remembers World War 1. “I don’t like talking about it. We lost our aunts and uncles.” But her face lights ups when she talks about her primary school days at Seponyane in Rooiwal, near Klerksdorp. She recalls how one of her teachers used to discipline the class back in 1893, when she was 10. “If you forgot what she taught you the previous day she’d hit you with the duster on the tip of your fingers! It was so painful but it sharpened my memory,” she says with a chuckle. President Jacob Zuma recently held an International Day for the Elderly, where Johanna and other women met him. “I’d like to meet him again. He’s such a nice man and a great dancer.” S
A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES Some of the historic events during Johanna’s lifetime: 1883: Johanna is born the same year the quagga is declared extinct. 1886: Gold is discovered in Johannesburg.
26 | 21 NOVEMBER 2013 you.co.za
1899: The Anglo Boer War breaks out. 1912: The Titanic sinks. 1914: World War 1 breaks out. 1923: SA has its first radio broadcast.
1939: World War 2 breaks out. 1990: Nelson Mandela is released from jail – Johanna is 107 years old. 1994: At 111 years old she gets to vote for the first time in her life.
