100-year-old Vereson Phiri is an active centenarian

The centenarian, Vereson Phiri believes you don’t last long if ‘you sit around the house and watch TV. The 100-year-old man from Pimville Zone 9 is an active member of the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO); he has been with them for over five years and attending all the meetings. He ascribed his longevity and relatively youthful appearance for her age to keep himself busy.

Just as your physical strength decreases with age, your eyes also exhibit an age-related decline in performance, particularly as you reach your 60s and beyond.

But it seems this is not the case with Phiri, as he can still operate his phone and read without looking like his eyes are being strained. You wouldn’t be able to tell that he is 100 by watching him.

He’s keeping busy and combating early ageing at the same time while inspiring many.

According to his granddaughter, Zanele Phiri, Vereson is a self-employed tailor.

“His typical day entails gardening and sewing; he can still put a thread through the needle all by himself, that’s how good his eyesight is. He can also cook and he often cooks for himself as he prefers food without spices,” said Zanele.

Phiri is a father of four children, 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

“He is quite a character, one thing he does that makes him special to us, is that he checks up on us more often since we don’t all stay with him and every time we have family gatherings and everyone is present, he is the most joyful and always preaches about love and unity,” Zanele added.

While some centenarians have poor health and functioning upon reaching age 100, others are able to achieve exceptional longevity in relatively good health and without loss of functioning, Phiri is one of them and he does not use a cane to assist him to walk.

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