Online Reporter
Patience Ndlovu
THE Tshitaudze family turned Mpande village in Zezani, Beitbridge, into a sea of song, dance and feasting on Saturday as they celebrated the 100th birthday of Gogo Rakela Sibanda — matriarch of the Chief Tshitaudze clan.
Married to the late Chief Pariti Tshitaudze for over 50 years until his passing in 2007, Gogo Sibanda is mother to three, grandmother to 25 — including current Chief Sitauze, David Tshitaudze — great-grandmother to 35 and great-great-grandmother to two.
Family spokesperson Mr Muvhuso Mbedzi hailed her as “a living library of culture and values” whose wisdom still guides the clan.
“She is the glue that kept us together, offering guidance, love and discipline,” he said.
The centenary bash brimmed with traditional Venda dances, praise songs, a three-tier cake in the colours of the national flag, and steaming local delicacies.
Gogo Sibanda, born on 9 August 1925, credited her long life to “loving people, eating what you grow, and never letting anger sleep in your heart.” She chuckled as she urged the young to “eat healthy, it’s the secret to long life.”
