SOUTH AFRICA'S CENTENARIANS

Corrie WIJNBEEK lived through two World Wars (28 Jul 1914 – 11 Nov 1918 and 01 Sep 1939 – 02 Sep 1945), the Spanish Flu (1918 – 1920), the Great Depression (Aug 1929 – Mar 1933), and the current COVID-19 pandemic. She passed away on 13 July 2021 at the age of 108 in Swartruggens.
She was living with her son, Dirk WIJNBEEK (75) a Gereformeerde Kerk minister, and his wife Nelriet, who looked after her.

Cornelia Geertje VAN DER BURGH (aka Corrie) was born on 18 February 1913 in Den Haag, The Netherlands. She was married on 08 December 1937 and had five children. During WWI, her husband, Dirk Hendrik Petrus WIJNBEEK (13 Jan 1914 - Jul 1981), was a prisoner-of-war in Germany, and one of her sons, Dirkie, died at home. She immigrated to South Africa in 1949 with her husband and four children. They rented a home in Johannesburg before buying land in Bodmin Street, New Redruth, Alberton, and building a house. Dirk Hendrik Petrus worked in the paint business in Alberton, where Corrie lived for 58 years.
In those early years in New Redruth, the roads were still untarred, and there was no sewage system in place, a night wagon came through twice per week to empty the buckets.
A daughter, Yvonne, and her husband Willem RAS, were killed in a car hijacking on the N12 near Eldorado Park in 2008.
Her other son, Marinus (28 Aug 1939 - 02 Aug 2020) was a well-known scientist, journalist and SABC TV presenter. He was a lecturer for 9 years before he joined the SABC as science editor. In 1979 the SABC started broadcasting the Afrikaans science magazine show Brandkluis for 4 seasons, in which Marinus as presenter discussed science subjects. He immigrated to the Netherlands in September 1996 with his wife, Annatjie. He was the founder of Kempton Park Technical College. 

Another daughter is Beatrix VAN DER WALT who lives in Brackenhurst, Alberton.
After a break-in at her flat in Alberton, she moved in with Dirk and Nelriet. In 2013 they moved from Steynsburg in the Eastern Cape to Swartruggens.
She had 14 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren.
At the time of her death, Corrie was the second-oldest living Dutch emigrant, after Catharina VAN DER LINDEN (born 26 August 1912)of Adelaide, Australia.

Ella

Ella Johanna POTGIETER, age 101, tested positive for COVID-19 in June 2021, and survived. Ella Johanna THERON was born on 22 July 1920 in Middelburg, Eastern Cape. Her family moved to Pretoria when she was 4 years old. She attended Laerskool Oost-Eind in Sunnyside, and Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool. Ella is the high school's oldest living past student, celebrating her 100th birthday in the school's century year. She left school in Grade 10, to work on the family farm in Rosslyn. She married Barend Jacobus Daniel POTGIETER (14 Aug 1916 - 12 Oct 1988) on 08 November 1941. She worked as a school secretary at Laerskool Akasia for many years before retiring in 1982. Ella currently lives in Pretoria North with her daughter Welma JACOBSZ. Ella has three children - two daughters, and a son who died four years ago. She has 8 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Shariefa

Shariefa KHAN (100) has finally returned to District Six, where she once lived with her husband and six children until the Group Areas Act evictions of the 1960s. On 17 June 2021, she received the news that she was getting a new 2-bedroom flat in Russell Street. She had applied for a house in 1996 and is the oldest living District Six land claimant. She is one of 108 people who were due to move into their new homes this July, but a construction snag has caused a delay.
On 11 February 1966, the government declared District Six a white area and shortly thereafter, the family received a letter that they would have to move. Shariefa and her husband, Dawood, lost their house and their Bombay Cafe (aka Dout's Cafe) at 238 Hanover Street in the evictions in 1968, the buildings were bulldozed. Dawood (aka Dout) was a chef. The family lived in Bailey Flats in Hanover Street, close to the Avalon Bioscope. Their cafe was famous for its Indian and Cape Malay cuisine. The family was forced to move to Rylands Estate on the outskirts of Cape Town in the then newly-formed Cape Flats.
She's been living with her daughter, Sumaya MUKADAM (59), a caterer, in Connaught Estate, Elsiesrivier. Another daughter, Nadiema KHAN (68), will move in with her mother in the new house to care for her as Shariefa had a stroke in stroke in December 2020 which left her whellchair-bound.
Shariefa was born on 25 April 1921in Vryburg, North West, to Ahmad Khan DESHMUKH and Gadija MALLAK - who were Indian immigrants to South Africa. Her family moved to Cape Town in 1928, first living in Muizenberg and later in Kensington where her father had the first halaal butchery in the area. She had eight siblings but only one younger sister is alive and she lives overseas. Shariefa married Dawood KHAN, also an Indian migrant living in District Six.
Dawood died in 1978 at age 63 of heart failure. Shariefa started making samoosas for an income, working into her 90s. Of her six children, only three are alive - Sumaya, Nadiema, and Rashida DA COSTA (63) who lives in Crawford, Cape Town. A daughter, Shamsunisa, died at 21, and another daughter, Zainab, died at 12 in an accident in front of the family's cafe. Her only son, Abdullah, died at age 72. She has 17 grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren.

Bredenkamp twins

Hendrik and Anna BREDENKAMP, twins born on 31 August 1919 and originally from Bultfontein in the Free State, celebrated their 100th birthday in Garsfontein, Pretoria. The wheelchair-bound twins were the last surviving of 11 children. Anna never married and worked as a missionary in Malawi for 26 years, after which she did counselling work with soldiers at 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria. Besides Afrikaans, she was fluent in English, Zulu and Chichewa. Anna died on 28 July 2020 of COVID-19, at Serene Park Retirement Home in Garsfontein.
The twins lived at Serene Park Retirement Home, with Hendrik living in a private unit across the road with his son Gerhard.
Hendrik was a Magistrate in the Free State, and later the Chief Magistrate in Pretoria. He was also fluent in English, Zulu and Dutch. He married Mona Marie Catharine BAASCH on 26 January 1946 and they had five children. Mona died on 18 October 2002 in Pretoria. Hendrik has 13 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

Tossie GOUWS celebrated her 100th birthday on 15 February 2021 at Ons Tuis Riviera Retirement Home in Pretoria. She's lived at Ons Tuis since May 2014.
Hendrika Margaretha MEINTJIES was born in Klerksdorp, where she grew up. She outlived two husbands, VAN ZYL and GOUWS. Her oldest daughter is 80 years old, another, Tersia KLEYNHANS is 72. Tossie had 6 children, and has 15 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great-grandchildren.
She once sent some of her smocking work to Princess Anne. Tossie was also a baker and cook. At one stage, she and her husband owned a furniture store, and she was a regional manager for Russels. 

Katriena, Jan (back), John-Will, Benjamin 

Katriena STRYDOM of Rietvallei farm, near Robertson, was born on 28 June 1919. She grew up in the area, and worked on the farm in the house and in the vineyards. Her first work was as a shepherd on Chris VILJOEN's farm.
Her mother died at age 106. Katriena had 9 children, of which 5 are deceased. She has 25 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren, including Benjamin LOUW (grandson) and John-Will ARENDSE (great-grandson).

Janet ROBERTS died at age 101 at Huis Weltevrede in Welkom on 01 June 2014. She was often seen at rose shows, and at age 95 was still doing her own laundry and ironing. Her son, Ian, visited her every day, and until a few weeks before he passing, they would go out forice cream or waffles evey day.
In her younger years she was a league tennis player in Virginia. She stopped playing tennis at age 79.
Janet ARNOT was born on 07 February 1913 in Roodepoort. She married William Robert Charles ROBERTS on 01 June 1940, and they settled in Virginia in 1952. He worked at the Harmony Gold Mine. They had two sons, Ian and Clive. Janet had 2 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.

Miss Mary

Miss Mary SWART of Huis Klippedrift in Napier celebrated her 100th birthday on 04 June 2015. She moved to Huis Klippedrift in 2015.
Maria Carolina SWART (aka Miss Mary) was born on 04 June 1915 on Heuningberg farm in Bredasdorp. She died on 18 Julie 2017 at age 102 in Napier.
Her father donated a small hall on his property to the African People's Organisation so that they could have a meeting place. Her sister, Susan and husband Jack VAN RENSBURG, fought to save the buildings that now house the Shipwreck Museum in Bredasdorp. In 1967, the authorities planned to demolish the old Independent Church building and hall. The community joined hands and after a large donation from Gideon ALBERTYN, they raised funds for a museum fund. The buildings, which belonged to the Anglican Church at that stage, were bought under the auspices of the municipality and declared a National Monument. The church building houses the Shipwreck Museum and the old hall next door houses the village museum. Miss Mary was an active member of the Friends of the Shipwreck Museum.

Lydia RADEBE of Villiers in the Free State turned 100 in August 2019. She was born on 13 August 1919 on a farm near Villiers.
In 1995 she received the first low-cost 3-room house built in Qalabotjha, Villiers, where she lived with two granddaughters. For her 100th birthday the community made repairs to the house.

Gerty LÖTTER of Robbertsz Street, Brandwacht in Stellenbosch celebrated her 100th birthday on 29 April 2019. She was born in Hopefield. She lived in Somerset West for many years before moving in with her daughter, Rita DE JAGER. Gerty was the youngest of 9 children and outlived them all. She also outlived her son. Gerty died in November 2019.

Willie SMIT turned 100 years old on 10 June 2021, a few days before moving to Ons Tuis Rivera in Pretoria.
Willem Frederick Jacobus SMIT was born on 10 June 1921 near Boksburg, one of six children. Three of them are still alive. He started an apprenticeship at Simmer & Jack Mine, and worked until his 40s on the gold mines in the Welkom area. He left to farm with sheep and cattle on the Highveld, together with his wife Henriëtte and their 4 children ((of whom two daughters are still alive). They later retired to Hartenbos for a few years before moving to Pretoria. He outlived Henriëtte and 2 children. Willie has 7 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild.

Chithekile MaGumede HLABISA, 101, survived COVID-19 and later received her vaccination. One of her daughters, Nelisiwe HLABISA, died from COVID-19. Chithekile lives in Ward 1 near Mzingazi in KwaZulu-Natal.

Eunice

Eunice FICK from Bellville, Cape Town, celebrated her 102nd birthday by getting the COVID-19 vaccine on 26 May 2021. Eunice DE JAGER was born in Oudtshoorn and has lived in her flat behind Eureka Retirement Home in Bellville for 26 years. Welhma LISHMAN is one of two daughters.
Eunice has 7 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Her husband, Gabriel Stephanus FICK (aka Kokkie), died on 04 September 2009 at age 94. They were married on 14 March 1945. She is one of Die Burger newspaper's oldest subscribers, having had a subscription for more than 50 years. Her father was also a subscriber.

Coba SCHABORT of Bloemfontein celebrated her 104th birthday on 29 April 2021, spending the day with her two daughters, 9 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Her daughter, Annalet NEL, lives with her in a townhouse in Langenhoven Park. Helene WILKE is her other daughter.
Coba is the oldest member of the Voortrekkerbeweging, having been a member for 90 of their 101 years. She received an honorary award from them in their centenary year.
She grew up in Reivilo, in North West province. The town was named after her father, A.J. OLIVIER. Coba survived the Spanish Flu pandemic, having been infected in 1918.