Durban: Not many people can attest to personally receiving a letter from the President of South Africa on their birthday.
But this is not just any birthday. For Durban great-grandmother Amartham Moodley, it’s quite an auspicious one.
Moodley will ring in her 106th birthday tomorrow, September 4.
“You are indeed blessed to reach this milestone, especially at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic is impacting severely on the lives of our people,” wrote President Ramaphosa in his letter.
“It is with immense delight and admiration that I convey my warmest greetings to you, Mrs Moodley, and congratulate you, on behalf of the Government and the people of South Africa, on the special occasion of your 106th birthday.”
He added: “I wish you and your family all of the best on the occasion, and I trust that the celebration will be memorable, filled with great happiness and contentment, even as we practise social distancing during these times.”
Moodley will ring in her birthday with close friends and family at Kendra Gardens in Durban.
Her daughter, Devi Rajab, an academic, said the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra would play some of her mother’s favourite songs.
She said her mother was in relatively good health and enjoyed listening to classic Carnatic music.
She said her secret to longevity could be attributed to good genes and healthy eating.
Moodley has four children, five grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren.
At the age of 85, after the death of her husband Percy, Moodley developed her love for painting and lives by the motto that you’re never too old to learn.
The couple had been married for over 50 years.
IOL