WHILE most 102-year-old people may be taking a back seat or considering to slow down, Fransisco Matola grows vegetables which he sells at the Gingindlovu taxi rank.
Born in Mozambique on 12 May 1914, Fransisco says he came to South Africa on 5 October 1938.
He started working on a sugar farm in the Mtubatuba area .
Since then, he has been a driver with Crookes Brothers in Nkwaleni and has also worked on farms at Compensation near Ballito.
On his retirement, he moved to Gingindlovu, where he lives with his brother’s son.
He says he is fit and healthy, and only has the odd joint pain and takes blood pressure tablets.
Fransisco grows vegetables on a plot next to the R66.
This usually supplements his pension, but the drought has knocked his ‘production’ this year.
He says he is happy where he is living, but the roof of his house is leaking badly.
Besides the financial burden of the roof repairs, he says he is frightened to climb a ladder to fix the rusted sheets.
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