EVER wondered the secret to a long-fulfilled life?
Well, for gogo Beauty Khumalo-Mgidi, tough love made her who she is.
Over the next coming weeks, Daily Sun will shine the light on incredible elders SunReaders nominated for our Gogo and Mkhulu of the Year Competition.
The two winners, who stand a chance to win R5 000 and amazing prizes, will be awarded in July 2025.
They will celebrate their victory with the Daily Sun team during a special Mandela Day event.
These are the inspiring men and women who have touched lives, shared wisdom and stood as pillars of strength in their communities.
Growing up with good morals
Now, meet our first finalist gogo Beauty, who will turn 102 in August 2025. She shared stories about her upbringing and the struggles that shaped her life.
She said she was raised in a polygamous family, where her dad, Mpika Khumalo, had five wives.
She said:
"We were a big happy family. All my father's wives loved each other and did most things together. They even shared food from the same pot."
Gogo Beauty, who hails from Nquthu in KZN but lives at Eshowengweni section in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, said her dad was a principled man and a famous inyanga.
"Soccer officials used to consult and get muthi to help their teams win. Patients from various provinces used to come to him for consultation and healing. He would help all of them.
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"Before he could start any healing process, he would call everyone in the family to pray first. This shows that as much as my father was a traditional healer, he put God first," she said.
Gogo said that her dad was strict and imparted good moral values to his kids.
"We carried those good moral values throughout our lives. Because of our father's teachings, we stayed disciplined and feared doing anything wrong," she said.
How gogo faced challenges
One of the challenges gogo faced was losing her husband in 1976.
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"I was happy in my marriage. After he died, I had to make sure I took care of our seven children. As a single mother, I made sure I did everything in my power to ensure all my children were educated. I would even sell umqombothi to raise money for my children to go to school," she said.
Gogo thanked God for keeping her alive all these years.
"Most people I grew up with are no longer alive. I appreciate what God has done for me. My children also take good care of me."
She advised young people to be disciplined and to practise self-care if they want to reach her age.
"I understand that things are a bit different lately, but I wish women and men could uphold the old cultural and traditional customs of getting married before having any children," advised gogo.
Grateful for blessings
Gogo Beauty is not just grateful to still be alive, but she's also grateful for her family.
"My four living children are now pensioners. This is God's grace and blessings to add more years for me and my children. Most of all, I'm grateful that besides using a walking cane, my health is still good. I can see, hear and talk. But old age is taking its course because I often ask people to repeat what they said," she said.
Asked what her favourite meal is, she said dumplings and meat.
Gogo's daughter, Thembi said her mum has always been her pillar of strength. "My mother has great wisdom. Her siblings and other relatives come to her for advice when they have problems.
"She is a great listener and peacemaker and I believe she could've been something big in life if she were not restricted by the old segregation laws. I'm grateful for everything my mother has sacrificed for me and my siblings to be who we are today," said Thembi.
