Centane great-grandmother Nowanele Yucu Mvuza is on the verge of making global history as she celebrates her 118th birthday on October 24. Having survived two world wars, the Cold War, and four decades of apartheid, Mvuza is now the subject of an official Guinness World Records bid launched by the Amathole District Municipality to verify her status as the world’s oldest living person.
Though she is now bedridden and facing deteriorating health, her family cherishes her enduring legacy of resilience, natural remedies, and a lifelong devotion to traditional foods such as umfino. As local officials prepare to celebrate this extraordinary milestone with her, her community hopes the international spotlight will also bring much-needed infrastructure improvements to their rural Eastern Cape village.
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