At 101, Bessie Keet has lived through it all – World War 2, the rise and fall of apartheid and all sorts of inventions and discoveries, from penicillin to ballpoint pens and cellphones.
The Pretoria granny was hospitalised for 10 days last year – thankfully not with Covid-19, as staff at the Montana Retirement Village where she lives initially feared – but with pneumonia, which she went on to beat.
“It was hard, but it’s God above who has me here today. I’m a person who’s always looking forward to the future and staying positive, that’s what keeps me going,” Bessie tells us.