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Yoliswa Dube-Moyo, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief
IN 1910, Gogo Mthowane Moyo (112) was born.

In Zimbabwe, colonial rule had set in.

In those days back in the village, if it rained, people were not allowed to go to the fields the following day.

If a nyanga (traditional healer) died, people were not allowed to go to the fields.

It was taboo.

Mahewu would be brewed and villagers would gather at the river to bathe as part of the cleansing process.

Gogo Moyo has lived to see five generations and her family consider themselves blessed to still be able to break bread with her.

Chronicle recently caught up with Gogo Moyo and her family deep in the Zhokwe area of Gwanda District to learn more about her life and her secret to longevity.

Although she is now hard of hearing and has difficulties talking, Gogo Moyo said her diet consisted mainly of traditional grains.

“We used to eat isitshwala samabele made from the grains we grew in our fields,” said Gogo Moyo.

She has, over the years, tried to instil the same eating habits among her family members.

Her first born child, a son, who was born in 1929, is still alive to enjoy his mother’s love even at the ripe age of 93.

Her fifth child, Gogo Enia Sibanda (75) recalls how she used to hide in caves with her mother during the Second Chimurenga.

“Whenever we heard gunshots, we would run away and head for the caves.

We would be so terrified and spend the whole day in the cave without eating anything.

We would only go back home in the evenings when the guns had gone quiet.

During those days, we didn’t rest.

It was an everyday thing where we would go and hide in the caves.

Sometimes we would start hearing gunshots at night while at home and we would just sit quietly.

In the morning, we would head back to the caves to hide,” said Gogo Sibanda.

She said her siblings would also scatter and hide in different places.

“The boys would run off and hide in other places.We wouldn’t all hide in one place.

We feel very blessed to still have our mother even at our advanced age.

God has been watching over her and she has been living an upright life.

We’re now taking care of her just as she took care of us,” said Gogo Sibanda.

She said their mother used to teach them how to prepare traditional grains, herd cattle and grow different crops.

“She used to tell us about how our forefathers used to go to Njelele in Matobo to ask for rain.

We grew up here in Zhokwe and lived most of our lives here,” she said.

Gogo Sibanda had eight children of her own but two are now deceased.

Gogo Moyo’s grandson, Pastor John Moyo (56) said his grandmother preached hard work and respectfulness.

“We grew up around our grandmother and she taught us to be prayerful, respectful and hardworking.

I’ve managed to raise my family using the teachings she instilled in us.

God has been good to us because Gogo has managed to raise her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and has lived to see my grandchildren,” said Pastor Moyo.

He said Gogo Moyo used to teach them about eating healthy traditional foods which she said were good for the body.

One of her great-grandchildren, Thakazela Moyo (28) said the centenarian had a soft spot for girls.

“When I was still a little girl, I loved playing and hanging around ukhokho. She used to teach me to weave baskets.

Many are not privileged to have met their great-grandparents and in some instances their grandparents but we were blessed to have the opportunity.

I now have children of my own and she’s still here with us.

She used to love her female grandchildren and would give us all sorts of herbs which she said would make our bodies strong.

She used to tell us to stay away from boys so that we could be respectable women in future,” said Thakazela.

She said eating traditional, unprocessed food is part of why Gogo Moyo has lived so long.

“We should also consider this in our diets.

Avoiding fatty foods and eating more traditional grains is good for the body,” she said.

Gogo Maria Dube (80), another one of Gogo Moyo’s children could not hide her joy of still having her mother around.

“I’m grateful to God that my mother has lived this long.

She used to love eating peanut butter stews and isitshwala samabele lesenyawuthi.

She has lived this long because of eating a healthy diet.

We no longer eat biltong or vegetables without cooking oil like she used to yet those were the healthier options,” she said.

Gogo Dube bemoaned how children in the current generation have “lost their morals” and “grown rude”.

“Children nowadays are rude.

Back in the day, we considered everyone who was older than us as our parents and respected them as such.

Nowadays children talk back, they refuse to be sent. You’ll hear them saying uyayilahla ugogo lowana.

We never used to say such things.

If I was sent by an elderly person to gather firewood for them, I would run and gather the firewood.

That’s what our mother taught us and I wish children these days would be as respectful,” she said.

– @Yolisswa