World's Oldest Woman Dies Aged 134


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South African Moloko Temo, a grandmother-of-29, passed away on Wednesday, officials near her home said.

Mrs Temo said she was born on July 4, 1874 ? making her at least five years older than any other claimant to the title of world's oldest person.

Politicians and friends paid tribute to her remarkable life.

Cassel Mathale, premier of the Limpopo province where Mrs Temo lived throughout her 14 decades, said: "One of the proudest moments we remember about her was when she voted in the April 22 general elections. This makes her a democrat at heart and one of the defenders of our freedom.

"Limpopo province was her home, and we are thankful to her family for having allowed her to share the remaining part of her life with us.

"We convey our deepest condolences to her family and relatives during this moment of grief."

Mrs Temo leaves behind her only surviving daughter, Evelyn Mothemane, herself believed to be aged in her late nineties.

As well her 29 grandchildren, she also had 58 great-children and countless great-great-grandchildren.

Mrs Temo has previously said the secret to a long life was a"trust in God and respect for your parents."

She said her favourite foods were spinach, meat, sweets and Coca-Cola.

Despite Mrs Temo's claim to be the world's oldest woman, her age was never formally verified by the Guinness Book of Records.

The officially-recognised world's oldest woman, Portuguese grandmother Maria de Jesus, died in January aged 115.

Since then Guinness officials have been trying to verify the age of her replacement.

Critics have previously challenged the validity of Mrs Temo's claim to the crown.

If her story is true, it meant she lived throughout the entire twentieth century, an incredibly turbulent period in South African politics.

The apparent year of her birth, 1874, saw English, Boer and African armies battle for control of the colony.

She later survived the horrors of apartheid before reaching the age of 109 when Nelson Mandela was elected president in 1994.

Other events from 1874 include, in Britain, the appointment of Conservative Benjamin Disraeli as Prime Minister following the defeat of his Liberal predecessor William Gladstone.

The Factory Act banned the use of children as chimney sweeps, Aston Villa football club was formed and future Prime Minister Winston Churchill was born.

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As I understand she is claiming that, but her age was unconfirmed? and if not, why not?

The confirmed case was of the longest unambiguously documented lifespan is that of Jeanne Calment of France (1875?1997), who died at age 122 years and 164 days.

So she lived 12 years more than that!

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Despite Mrs Temo's claim to be the world's oldest woman, her age was never formally verified by the Guinness Book of Records.

Sad part is we may never know for sure. It look like she lived a nice, long life full of happiness and that's what matters anyway. R.I.P.

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Holy crap, I wish I could peek 100+ years into the future just to see what the future holds. I'd probably be way too senile by then to actually enjoy any of it, though :(

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As I understand she is claiming that, but her age was unconfirmed? and if not, why not?

The confirmed case was of the longest unambiguously documented lifespan is that of Jeanne Calment of France (1875?1997), who died at age 122 years and 164 days.

So she lived 12 years more than that!

That is simple- sometimes records like that are hard to read-

Most records of people around that age come from family records.

My family has had some longevity lifespans. My great-great- grandmother when she passed away at 110 or so she said according to her age. At closer inspection of the family bible would have put her age at 112. (where someone misread a 6 as an 8) . Even my great grandmother lived a long life and died at 104, she even bagged a 10pt buck at 94 though hated them taking away her drivers license at 91. She fell at 103 in the shower and broke her hip and her health degraded.

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