ACTIVE AT 76: JEMINA THAPELI’S INSPIRING JOURNEY TO HEALTHY LIVING IN QWAQWA

By Jessica Msiza

• Active Lifestyle at 76: Jemina Thapeli, a 76-year-old resident of QwaQwa, Free State, embraced exercise and sports to combat age-related illnesses, engaging with her community in various activities to stay healthy and active.
• Community Support: Thapeli and her team engage in diverse exercises supported by youth and the community, utilizing spaces like local schools for their activities, demonstrating the importance of intergenerational support for active ageing.
• Giving Back and Gratitude: Despite receiving an older person’s grant, Thapeli contributes to her community by donating vegetables and clothes to disadvantaged families, while also leveraging her sewing skills for additional income. She expresses gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the Golden Games, highlighting the positive impact on herself and her community.

Jemina Thapeli (76) resides in QwaQwa, Free State. She got into a culture of exercising and participatinf in sports after the realization that people develop all sort of illnesses as they age, she then  decided to exercise and participate in sports with other women and men within the QwaQwa community.

Jemina has explained that the team does all kinds of exercises and they get all the support and encouragement from the youth and community. She is into farming and sewing in a local school since there is no particular space for the team to do their extra activities.

She supports and give back to the community by donating the vegetables and clothes to disadvantaged families. She is receiving older person’s grant and it assists her to buy all her essentials and she, sometimes get clients are willing to pay for her sewing services.

” I am honoured to participate in Golden Games, i feel so special that I am doing something positive for myself and the community I reside in. Having the media, and other young people to come here in Nelspruit to see qhat we love to do, it gives us as old people the courage to continue. I appreciate the government for this opportunity” Ms Jemina Thapeli.