Chronicle Editor
Flora Fadzai Sibanda – [email protected]
MRS Etta Masamanisi Mkwananzi (100) of Thorngrove suburb in Bulawayo has lived to see her 36 grandchildren, 35 great grandchildren and one great great-grandchild.
A mother to nine, four of whom are now late, Mrs Mkwananzi celebrated Mother’s Day yesterday after achieving a milestone, seeing some generations that have come after her.
The granny met the love of her life Mr Magama Shadreck Mkwananzi in 1942 at Solusi Mission and they wed four years later, a year before the famous umnyaka wendlala in 1947.
Mr Mkwananzi died in 2004 at the age of 85 after 62 years of marriage.
In an interview with Chronicle, the centenarian who was born in February 1923 said she has raised a lot of children particularly women to whom she has passed down her good motherly instincts.
“Being a mother is very special because you get to have unconditional love which will not make you lack anything. However, that can only happen if you get married to a person who is honest and has the mind to make your home beautiful and create a home that will be loved even by children who are not yours biologically,” said Mrs Mkwananzi.
The matriarch said if one respects “themselves and everyone else” the whole journey becomes easy and fun.
“Being a mother is now different from what we used to do. But it just needs someone to have the same courage,” said Mrs Mkwananzi.
One of her daughters Mrs Sihle Sigola (63) said she is happy with the time she has spent with her mother because she taught her one of the greatest values in life that any mother can have which is love.
Mrs Sigola said, growing up, her mother would bring children from different families under her roof and care for them like they were hers.
“Mother’s Day is special to me and the rest of my family because we are celebrating this beautiful woman who gave birth to the generation that we have today. It is also a chance to celebrate all the women who work very hard for their children to ensure that they get everything they want,” she said.
Ms Xoliswa Mkhwananzi (40), a granddaughter to Mrs Mkwananzi said the centenarian has always made sure everyone has enough to eat when they gather as a family.
“My grandmother is also a warm person and has always ensured that she follows up on all of us to see if we are doing fine. This Mother’s Day is special because to us it’s thanksgiving and celebration for our centenarian matriarch who remains the beacon of our lives,” she said.
Ms Xolile Mangena (27) the first great grandchild to Mrs Mkwananzi said as she celebrated Mother’s Day she was happy the old woman taught her how to put family first before everything else.
She said her mother was able to raise her and her siblings with love because she was raised by love.
“Ukhokho has always stressed how important family is whether it’s a close or distant family. She believes that having family together is enough and nothing beats that, that is why she enjoys having us together as a family,” she said.
When Mrs Mkwananzi was celebrating 100 years earlier this year, her last born daughter, Ms Samukeliso Mkwananzi said their mother has been a source of inspiration for them, in all aspects of life.
“We are a blessed lot to be her children, sadly four of our siblings are no longer with us. Our mother is still the same person she was when we were still little kids, save for some unavoidable challenges due to age. If it was to her wishes, she could still be going to the fields to till the land because farming is in her blood,” said Ms Mkwananzi.
— @flora_sibanda
Online Reporter