be killed by thugs?

Bruised body of Madodonga pensioner (114) found

By Kaizer Nengovhela

“This is a tragedy. Who would want to kill a defenceless old man?” This was the question on everyone’s lips after a resident of Madodonga, who was more than a century old, was murdered. John Makukwe was allegedly killed and robbed of his money on 13 May.

“Topless” Jeeps in Vhembe

Despite the cold weather in Vhembe the past weekend, the Venda Khartel and Jeep Nation still managed to host a successful international Jeep Go Topless Day. This is a celebration designated by Jeep drivers globally to mark the start of spring in the northern hemisphere and the end of the warm summer season in the southern hemisphere. Photographed are Godfrey Muthabeni (left) and Munyadziwa Mukhethoni of the Venda Khartel Jeep Club at Mapitas. See story on page 2. Photo: Maanda Bele.

Makukwe’s body was found in his home by family members. He had visible bruises and wounds to his head and body. How he died remains a mystery. The police spokesperson, Lt Col Malesela Ledwaba, confirmed that an inquest docket had been opened. No-one has been arrested yet and their investigations continue. The family and police are pinning their hopes on the post-mortem to provide them with answers.

Makukwe was buried at Madodonga on Saturday, 20 May. One of his daughters,

Ms Dorah Ngwana (68), said the family still did not know what to make of their father’s death. “We have no idea what could have happened, but we are suspecting foul play. We still cannot believe that he is gone, and that this is how he died at his age. We are all deeply saddened.”

Ngwana said that her father had had very little eyesight left at the end, but that his hearing had still been good and, although he had spoken slowly, his mind had still been sharp enough to communicate. She said he had loved to talk about the olden days.

Makukwe’s identity document shows that he was born on 30 December 1908, which would have made him 114 years old. This would also mean that one of the oldest people in the world would have lived here in Vhembe. Currently, the oldest living person in the world (whose age could be verified), is Ms

Maria Branyas of Spain (116), who was born in March 1907. The verification gets done by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG), a global organisation of researchers in various fields of gerontology, based in Los Angeles, California.

In South Africa, several sources list Mrs Anna Tsatsawani Makanete as being the oldest living person. She was born only a few months before John Makukwe, on 25 June 1908. She is not listed on the GRG records as her age could not be verified.

Whether Makukwe’s birth date was correctly recorded by the Department of Home Affairs is debatable. Numerous errors occurred when such data was captured and the date was often a guestimate. The fact, however, remains that Mr Makukwe was very old.

Makukwe was born on a farm called Granite, next to Bandelierkop, and grew up in Luonde village before he eventually settled at Madodonga. According to Dorah Ngwana, her oldest siblings (the first- and second-born) were born in 1940 and 1944. They are both deceased now. The third-born, who is still alive, was born in 1947, while Ngwana (the lastborn) was born in 1955.

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Mr John Makukwe from Madodonga was more than a century old.