A woman said to be the world’s oldest person has died in South Africa at the age of 128 having lived through three different centuries.
Johanna Mazibuko, died at her home home in Jouberton, North West Province, on March 3 and would have been 129 in May, according to reports.
Those close to her said she had ID documents that prove she was born on 11 May 1894.
She grew up on a maize farm and never went to school and could not read or write, they said.
She had seven children, two of whom are still alive, and more than 50 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Ms Mazibuko survived both World Wars and was alive during Queen Victoria’s reign, the Wright brothers’ first flight and the Russian revolution.
Daughter-in-law Thandiwe Wesinyana told News24: ”The community is saddened. We’ve all lost a mother.”
When she celebrated her 128th bithday last year, Ms Mazibuko was unsure quite how she’d reached such an advanced age.
She added: ”When I die, they must slaughter a cow for me. They must bury me well, so that I never bother them.”
The oldest living person whose date of birth can be authenticated is 116-year-old Maria Branyas who was born in San Francisco on 4 March 1907.
