Father Innocent Makawule Ndlovu
GOGO Katharina Nkomo is commonly known as BakaTigele and is the oldest surviving Catholic of St Joseph Mission in Matobo District, Matabeleland South Province.
She lives in Ward 7 under Headman Mpamadzi Makawule of Chief Malaba. Gogo Katharina was born to Dlawana Sola Nkomo and Silungile Sibanda-Luphahla in 1910.
Her immediate younger brother was Khiyi Nkomo. After the two came James Khongo Nkomo, the last born, who has also clocked a century, having been born on 7 June 1922.
Katharina’s father Dlawana was very close to Headman Mpamadzi Makawule and Chief Ntelela Malaba. Katharina’s aunt begot BakaNcipho who became the first wife of Lufu Makawule, the younger brother to Mpamadzi Makawule whereas Mapini Makawule (Chief Kutshe) had one of his wives being a Nkomo lady, namely, BakaTengesangwa who was Dlawana’s auntie and a sister to Mathumo Sola Nkomo.
Gogo Katharina Nyaka Nkomo
Baptism records show that Gogo Nyaka Katharina was about 15 years old when she was baptised by Fr Peter Ebner CMM nicknamed Mahuha on 31 October 1931.
If we compare and contrast the two sources of information in respect of Gogo MaNkomo’s year of birth, that is, her metal national identity card and her baptism information recorded 93 years ago, we get a small variation of six years. Whatever or whichever angle we look at her year of birth, we can conclude that Gogo Katharina has safely surpassed by far a century!
Gogo Nyaka Dlawana was forcibly given in marriage to Mkhaza Malaba of Dihwe to be the fourth wife.
That customary marriage arrangement was aggressively criticised by Fr Peter Ebner of the Congregation of Mariannhill Missionaries (CMM) such that Katharina Dlawana ran away from that forced marriage but not before she had given birth to Tigele Malaba and Terezia Malaba (BakaTholiwe) born in 1938.
At the time, Fr Peter Ebner “Mahuha” often remarked that Dlawana (father to Katharina) “nguSathane omkhulu owathatha uKhatharina wamnika indoda elabafazi abathathu.”
Biti Matjimbiri Thebele, the traditional healer who was well known for using traditional medicine both ways, that is, to promote human life or to destroy it, treated Gogo Nyaka Katharina’s breast when she could not produce milk to breastfeed the newborn baby boy Tigele Ncube by suckling her breast until milk came out!
It was a common practice for Thebele to suckle the breasts of the young mothers as part of his healing procedure! It is said that he would instruct the young mother to lean against a hut pole and he would kneel to position himself to the level of breasts.
Biti Thebele the n’anga, wayemwa mahhamu akadza akabhodla (Thebele suckled young mothers’ breasts until he belched). Having freed herself from that forced marriage, Gogo Nyaka Katharina got married to Sithupha Moyo and begot Johannes Moyo in 1942, Sister Moyo in 1945, Sylvester Ephraim Moyo, Antonetta in 1950, Maria in 1953 and lastly, Editor Moyo in 1957.
Gogo Nyaka Katharina has 65 grandchildren, 186 great-grandchildren and 78 great-great-grandchildren.
Gogo Katharina is 114-years-old and has become the oldest surviving Catholic at St Joseph Mission, Semokwe, Matobo. She attributes her longevity to her tough upbringing, a correct lifestyle that hinges on traditional foods, and divine mercy and grace.
Gogo Katharina said as young girls, they were made to bath in cold water at pools that never dried. Gogo Katharina is fondly proud of her Catholic faith and says she resisted any form of pressure to dissuade her from the Catholic faith she had received from Fr Peter Ebner CMM.
Pope Francis has been very vocal about the importance of grandparents. Here are some of the things he has said about them.
Grandparents are often forgotten, yet they “are the link between generations, passing on the experience of life and faith to the young.”
Grandparents and the elderly are a precious part of our families and communities, for they remind us that we share the same heritage and are part of a people committed to preserving its roots.
The Church and society need them, for they entrust to the present the past that is needed to build the future.
The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly is meant to be a small but precious sign of hope for them and for the whole Church.
He encourages young people to visit their grandparents or an elderly person who lives alone. He asked the elderly to accompany the young people with their prayers.
The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly falls on the fourth Sunday of July. It was declared by Pope Francis in 2021 to highlight the importance of dialogue between generations. “Do not cast me off in my old age” (cf. Psalm 71:9)
