Margaret Maritz was born in 1906. (AFP)
A Western Cape woman celebrated her 118th birthday as one of the world's oldest people with a small party at her care home on Friday.
Margaret Maritz was born on September 27, 1906, according to a copy of her identity card shown to journalists by the charity that helped organize the party on the Towes River, 180 kilometers (110 miles) northeast of Cape Town. .
The document has not been independently verified, but if confirmed, Maritz, born May 23, 1908, would be listed by the U.S.-based Gerontology Research Group as the world's oldest living person. This means that she will be older than the Japanese Tomiko Itooka.
At a party in a small town, Maritz, surrounded by two of her 14 children, blew out the candles on a large pink birthday cake.
“She talked about her life as a young woman and said she had to respect her mother and father. She didn't drink, she didn't smoke,” said Gregory, the home's senior nurse.・Elroy Adams said.
“We have to be grateful,” said one of her daughters, Lisa Daniels, 67. But for me, having a mother of this age is a huge privilege. ”
According to the Guinness World Records website, the oldest known person to have lived was Jeanne Calment, a French national who died in August 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days.
“There are a number of people who have been claimed to be older than Jeanne, but there has never been sufficient evidence to authenticate them,” the magazine said.
The oldest known South African died in March 2023, just two months before turning 129 years old.
Johanna Mazibuko was born on May 11, 1894, according to her identification documents, but these were not confirmed as genuine by the authorities.
© Agence France-Presse
