Church celebrates the life of 101-year-old man

The Word of Faith Christian Church in Mpheni celebrated the life of one of its elderly members on Sunday afternoon.

Vho-William Mukwevho-Litshokhotha shares his birthday with the late state president, Mr Nelson Mandela. He is 101 years old this year and he is happy about having reached a centenary and a year.

“We are celebrating Vho-Mukwevho-Litshokhotha's life because the Word of God tells us to honour one's mother and father,” said Pastor Len Mudau. “It may not seem like a big event in the eyes of some people, but to us this is something big since the old man's life is precious to us.”

Mudau recalled one Sunday when heavy rains flooded the streets, but Mukwevho-Litshokhotha braved the floods and walked with the aid of his walking stick through the dangerous waters to get to church. “After church, I asked him to walk with me to show me the road he had used to get to the church, and I found that it was still flooded with water at unlikely levels,” Mudau said. “I was so afraid and worried for him that he had been putting his life at risk just to get to the church. That Sunday, many people had not come to church, but here was an old man who had stood up and said I would walk in the rains and through dangerous waters to get to church. That was a brave and bold move, but he kept us worried, though.”

Sitting next to his sweetheart and wife of many decades, Vho-Mukwevho-Litshokhotha said that he was glad for what the church was doing for him. “This shows that this church values life,” he said. “I thank God for having walked with me this far, and I'll continue to serve Him.”

Mukwevho-Litshokhotha has been blessed with two sons and nine daughters, two of whom have since passed away. He has also been blessed with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He stays at Mpheni-Badama Block A3.

His wife, Vho-Ernest Mukwevho-Litshokhotha, said: “I thank God for blessing me with such a loving and caring husband, whom I also enjoy looking after in our old age. My life wouldn't have been this meaningful and enjoyable without him.”

Date:02 September 2019

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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