Gogo Litshani celebrates her 100th birthday
Gogo Litshani Nemukombame is known for raising her children with love, taking them to church every Sunday and encouraging them to take education seriously.
LIMPOPO – The rural village of Tshitunguni under the Thengwe Tribal authority gathered in celebration last Saturday, when the children of granny Litshani Nemukombame, her relatives and the bigger community celebrated her 100th birthday.
Ululations, and song and dance including traditional dances including tshigombela were the order of the day as speaker after speaker hailed the mother of the Tshitunguni villagers, wishing her more years to come.
Gogo Nemukombame (100) was born in 1923 and raised in Tshitanzhe village near Musunda. She is known for raising her children with love, taking them to church every Sunday and encouraging them to take education seriously.
Nemukombame was blessed with eight children: Sarah (Mainganye), Thihanedzwi, Thanyani, Tshisikhaiwe, Fhumulani, Mmbulaheni, Ntshavheni and Masala, whom she raised with the little money she had as a single mother, as her husband, Lugisani Johannes Nemukombame passed away in 1975.
“Life was hard raising eight children as a single and unemployed parent, but I always prayed to God that one day I would enjoy a better life, if I encourage my children to take education seriously. I have now relocated to Tshitunguni village, where I’m spending much of her my ploughing the mealie field near my house, keeping and nurturing my grandchildren, also encouraging them to take education seriously, as I regard education as the powerful weapon to fight poverty and unemployment,” she told CV.
As to the secret for a long life, Nemukombame said she does not drink liquor and believes in exercise and attending church on Sundays, where she is a staunch member of the Thavhakhulu Reformed Church in Tshilamba town near Mutale. “I also enjoy eating Mopani worms and apples, as I’m a vegetarian.”
One of her children, Sarah Ravele, who is the principal of Lufule Primary School along the Punda Maria Road from Thohoyandou was over the moon to her mother as a centenarian, saying God has saved her as the mother of the family.
“Through my mother’s hard work, we were raised in a Christian family. We regarded education as important and we are proud of progressing through life well thanks to the advice she gave us.”
Vhamusanda Mulindathavha Tshisudzungwane of Tshitanzhe village, who is also closely related to Nemukombame said he was proud of being associated with her.
