Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza, Sunday News Reporter
TUCKED away in the remote village of Ntunungwe in Bulilima District, Matabeleland South Province, lies the humble homestead of a man who, if official records are verified, could soon be declared the oldest living person in the world.
Mr Anuloisa Banda, aged 122, was the centre of attention on Friday as he was celebrated for potentially being the world’s oldest person.
Mr Banda’s age, if authenticated, surpasses that of the current Guinness World Record holder, Ethel Caterham of the United Kingdom, who was 115 years and 252 days old as of 2 May this year.
The Ntunungwe villager was feted with gifts including groceries, a new bed, a wheelchair, and a pledge to drill a borehole, along with crucial free funeral cover, highlighting his remarkable longevity.
Born on 23 December 1903, Mr Banda quietly celebrates his birthday with family and neighbours every year. However, this is never an ordinary occasion. Last December, Mr Banda turned 122 years old.
The Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Edgar Moyo, who attended Mr Banda’s birthday celebrations alongside Industry and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, confirmed that he had seen the centenarian’s national identity document, which states his date of birth as 23 December 1903.
“I have seen his national identity document, and it states that he was born on 23 December 1903 in a village known as Tukuyu, which lies on the border of Malawi and Tanzania.
“If further evidence can be found to corroborate that he was indeed born in that year, then Bulilima is home to the oldest person in the world,” said Minister Moyo.
The Banda homestead was abuzz with activity on Friday as young and old gathered to celebrate the life of a man who lived before the First World War (1914–1918). For decades, Mr Banda witnessed Zimbabwe’s struggle for independence and the eventual triumph over white minority colonial rule in 1980.
Yesterday, for the first time in many years, Banda was the centre of attention as villagers travelled by foot, bicycle, and vehicle to help him celebrate a milestone that few people around the world can claim.
Seated between the two Cabinet ministers, with his daughter-in-law Judith Maphosa close by, the centenarian was visibly overjoyed at the sight of scores of people honouring his life.
His neighbour and friend, Peter Phuti (86), said he first met Mr Banda in the 1960s in Ntunungwe Village and was immediately drawn to the elder’s humility.
“He was already in his 50s when I first met him here in Ntunungwe, and the one thing I loved about him was his respectfulness, even to people like myself who were younger than him.
“We knew he was originally from Malawi, but the whole village loved him and embraced him as one of our own. I used to ask him how old he was when he left Malawi, and he would say it was a long time ago when he was a young man,” he said.
Fellow Ntunungwe villager and Zanu-PF Politburo member, Cde Richard Ndlovu, said he also knew Mr Banda from long ago, during the late 1950s when white farmers were seizing land and forcibly relocating black villagers.
“I have no doubt in my mind that he was born around 1903 or even slightly earlier, because I’ve known him for decades, and he was already a respected gentleman in our village. The Maphosa family has taken good care of their father and grandfather, and today we are here celebrating 122 years since he was born,” he said.
For a man who passed the century mark long ago, Mr Banda remains remarkably sound in both mind and body.
The homestead fell silent when he was asked to share his story, as villagers listened attentively, hanging on his every word, though much of it was inaudible. His daughter-in-law, Maphosa, took over the microphone and gave the villagers a brief history of the old man.
Born in Tukuyu, a village between Malawi and Tanzania, in 1903, Mr Banda moved to Dar es Salaam at the age of 18. After two years, he journeyed south to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where he spent his working life at various mines in Mhangura, Shamva, and Zvishavane, among others.
He met his late wife, Xotshiwe Maphosa, in Filabusi before they relocated to Bulilima District in the late 1950s.
The centenarian captured national attention two weeks ago when Zimpapers published an article detailing the family’s struggle to secure funeral cover for him. Four funeral policy providers declined to register him, citing his advanced age as a business risk.
Harare-based company Zororo/Phumulani has since pledged to provide him with free funeral cover.
In a gesture of gratitude and national pride, the Government yesterday donated groceries, a new bed, and a wheelchair to the family.
Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Albert Nguluvhe, also pledged to drill a borehole at the Banda homestead.
