104-year-old ‘Ma’ is a blessing to her family
BANGARU Govender of Chatsworth starts off her day with her favourite meal of tea and toast.
Thereafter, the great-great-grandmother lies in bed and makes small talk with her son in Tamil.
This has been Govender’s routine for the past five years.
On December 27, she turned 104. Despite her fading memory and walking with the aid of a stick after a fall, Govender is in relatively good health.
What she dislikes is her family fussing over her.
This became evident when Govender’s son, Siva, 66, tried to help her around the home.
Instead of accepting his hand for support, she reached out for her walking stick.
Her granddaughter, Shivani, said Govender enjoyed telling them about her young days.
Govender’s parents owned a farm in Second River in Stella Hill (Seaview).
“My grandmother had seven siblings. She would tell us about her life under apartheid and how she would wake up early to help at the farm where her family grew vegetables and kept cattle. Thereafter, she would then work at the home of a white family who called her Mary. She would iron, wash and clean before returning to her home to give her family her contribution for the day.”
Shivani said that from the age of 16, her grandmother worked as a domestic worker for this family and others.
After she turned 21, she met Perumal Govender the man she married.
Govender stopped working and the couple moved to Dayal Road in Clairwood.
“My grandfather worked at the Railway Barracks, while my grandmother took care of their eight children.”
The family were moved to Chatsworth by the Group Areas Act.
Siva said after he and his siblings moved out, they returned home almost every weekend for family gatherings.
They could not keep away from Govender’s home-cooked meals.
He said his mother’s sister died a few years ago at the age of 101.
Her brother, who lives in Merebank, is 94. Shivani said their family were blessed to have Govender with them.
“Having Ma with us shows us the importance of life and family. Not only does she share her home remedies with us, but she has also shown us that we can be happy by living simple, technology-free lives.”
Govender has 24 grandchildren and 22 great-great-grandchildren.