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Peter Matika, Senior Reporter
THE less you worry, the happier you are, and the longer you live. This is Samuel “Mkhatsha” Moyo’s secret to longevity, which must be true, as he recently celebrated his 100th birthday.
Mkhatsha, as he is affectionately known has always been a strong-willed man and nothing has changed, as he recently celebrated 100 years of life last week.
Born on 19 September 1918 into a family of 10, he has lived to tell the tales of a century.
“I was the first born of 10 children. My entire family is late. I have lived to see a lot in my lifetime and I must say I have experienced a lot,” said Mkhatsha, who celebrated his birthday at a restaurant in the leafy neighbourhood of Suburbs.
The party was organised by his former employers the Einhorn family, and was attended by some of his family members from Kezi.
Narrating his life story Mkhatsha, attributed his secret to longevity to living positively, never hold any bitter thoughts and feelings, as well as eating healthy.
“When you get to be my age you tend to realise just how less important it is for you to hold unnecessary grudges with people.
It is just not worth it. Living positively and always smiling adds more years to your life. The food you town folk eat is not healthy. My diet consists of traditional foods and I am constantly working,” he said.
Mkhatsha said he was born in Matopo in that year and grew up living in the village.
“I attended a school in Matopo. I can barely remember the name. I began working in 1936 at a Government school, where I met my wife. I left my job in Matopo to seek greener pastures at Meikles Department Store here in Bulawayo. I worked for a few years before I left for South Africa. I returned to Zimbabwe in the 1950s thereabout. Home was best and it is where I worked for a special family, the Einhorns. They have cared for me since,” said Mkhatsha.
He said the Einhorn family, had been good to him through generations and was honoured to have worked for them.
“I have had the honour of working for this family. They have cared for me and assisted me in a lot. I suffered a broken hip a few years ago and they financed my operation. Also they facilitated for me that I undergo eye surgery and procured me a pair of spectacles,” he said.
Mkhatsha, who married in the 1950s and only had two children, before his wife died in the 70s mentioned that he was lonely but was happy to have been granted a long life.
“My wife was born in 1922 and we married in the late 50s, had two children. She died in the late 70s after suffering from an illness. Our children went on to marry as they grew up and had children of their own. The first child has one child a boy, while the second has five children,” he said, noting that his memory had grown blurry over the past few years.
“I don’t really know where most of my family is or the number of great grand children. All I know is that most of them are living somewhere in South Africa,” said Mkhatsha.
However, Mkhatsha noted that he lived by himself at a homestead in Kezi, where he has since relocated, after his retirement in 1982.
“I live all by myself and can barely fend for myself. Even though I am still fit there are some chores that I cannot execute on a daily basis. Sometimes I fail to bath because fetching water from the nearby dam is a daunting task. At times I go to bed on an empty stomach because I would be exhausted from my day-to-day tasks but I do get by, although it is not easy,” said Mkhatsha.
He mentioned that the Einhorn family had offered him to stay with them.
“They have offered me a place to stay but I can’t leave my home. I have a few goats and chickens. Who is going to care for them? My nephew is also building a homestead but he has not come in a long times,” said Mkhatsha.
Claire Einhorn, who organised the party, said as a family felt indebted to Mkhatsha.
“He worked for my husband’s family for a long time, my mother in law is 87 now and my husband is 63. He started working for them when my husband was just 6 months old. He taught him a lot,” said Einhorn.
She noted that indeed they had offered Mkhatsha a place to stay but he refused.
“He has a spacious room that we renovated especially for him but he only stays for a few days here when he comes. He mostly comes when he needs medical attention. He has a granddaughter that we employed at his request,” said Einhorn, adding they would assist him whenever he needed.
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