Moloko Temo
Encyclopedia
"Koko" Moloko Temo was a South African woman who claimed to be the oldest living person in the world
at 134 years of age. She claimed an age at least six years older than that of any other living claimant, but her claim has never been verified by Guinness World Records
.
As reported by ITN's Martin Geissler
for ITV News
, Temo claimed she was born on July 4, 1874, making her 134 years old. Official records were not kept at that time. Her claim is documented by a government passport identity document issued to her in 1988, according to the Afrikaans
-language Beeld Daily
, based on testimonials by family members. The age claimed may have been a guess.
Blind since the 1950s, she lived in Limpopo Province, South Africa, with a daughter reportedly now aged over 90. She was survived by another daughter (Evelyn) and 29 grandchildren, and also had 59 great-grandchildren and at least 5 great-great-grandchildren. Her longevity did not seem to be a result of a healthy diet: her favorite foods were spinach, meat, sweets, and Coca-Cola
. Temo said the secret to being the "oldest person in history" is a "trust in God and respect for your parents".
Her youngest daughter, Evelyn Mothemane (Evelen Temo), was 78 when her mother celebrated her 132nd birthday, meaning she was apparently born when her mother was 53 or 54. Temo's apparent explanation for this was that it was common for women to have children later in life.
Despite media claims to the contrary, Guinness World Records has given no indication that they plan to accept this claim, citing lack of evidence and extreme unlikelihood.
At the celebration of her claimed 134th birthday, it was announced that there would be further attempts to get Temo's age verified.
She died of natural causes on June 2 or 3, 2009, at the claimed age of 134. Only two months earlier, on April 22, she had voted in the general elections.
Oldest people
This is a list of tables of the verified oldest people in the world in ordinal rank, such as oldest person or oldest man. In these tables, a supercentenarian is considered 'verified' if his or her claim has been validated by an international body that specifically deals in longevity research, such...
at 134 years of age. She claimed an age at least six years older than that of any other living claimant, but her claim has never been verified by Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
.
As reported by ITN's Martin Geissler
Martin Geissler
Martin Geissler is a Scottish broadcast journalist for ITV News. He was Africa Correspondent from May 2006 until August 3020 when he took on the role of European Correspondent....
for ITV News
ITV News
ITV News is the branding of news programmes on the British television network ITV. Since 1955, ITV's news bulletins have been produced by Independent Television News . The channel's news coverage has won awards from the Royal Television Society, Emmy Awards and BAFTAs. Between 2004 and 2008, the...
, Temo claimed she was born on July 4, 1874, making her 134 years old. Official records were not kept at that time. Her claim is documented by a government passport identity document issued to her in 1988, according to the Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
-language Beeld Daily
Beeld
Beeld is an Afrikaans language daily newspaper that was launched on 16 September 1974. Beeld is distributed in five provinces of South Africa: Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West and KwaZulu-Natal. Die Beeld was an Afrikaans language Sunday newspaper in the late 1960s...
, based on testimonials by family members. The age claimed may have been a guess.
Blind since the 1950s, she lived in Limpopo Province, South Africa, with a daughter reportedly now aged over 90. She was survived by another daughter (Evelyn) and 29 grandchildren, and also had 59 great-grandchildren and at least 5 great-great-grandchildren. Her longevity did not seem to be a result of a healthy diet: her favorite foods were spinach, meat, sweets, and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
. Temo said the secret to being the "oldest person in history" is a "trust in God and respect for your parents".
Her youngest daughter, Evelyn Mothemane (Evelen Temo), was 78 when her mother celebrated her 132nd birthday, meaning she was apparently born when her mother was 53 or 54. Temo's apparent explanation for this was that it was common for women to have children later in life.
Despite media claims to the contrary, Guinness World Records has given no indication that they plan to accept this claim, citing lack of evidence and extreme unlikelihood.
At the celebration of her claimed 134th birthday, it was announced that there would be further attempts to get Temo's age verified.
She died of natural causes on June 2 or 3, 2009, at the claimed age of 134. Only two months earlier, on April 22, she had voted in the general elections.