A man aged 111 years old has revealed his secret to a long life.
Ben Ngemani Mabuza or ‘Grandfather Ben’ as people call him, is believed to be the second oldest man in the world.
And his secret to ageing? A simple diet.
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“Every day I eat porridge, meat and morogo, a wild type of African spinach,” he told What’s The Jam.
“I know my plants.
“And when I’m out tending to my veggies, everybody who goes past stops to say hello.
“I grew up on a farm.
“I had to work in the fields from a young age.”
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According to his official ID card, Ben was born in 1913.
He could soon become a contender for the Guinness World Record.
The title of the oldest man in the world was held by Juan Vicente Pérez of Venezuela, who was 114 years old when he died in April this year.
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The UK’s John Alfred Tinniswood is the current record holder, who was born in August 1912, making him 111, but soon to be 112.
Living as long as Ben has, means he’s had to say goodbye to several loved ones – he’s been a widower for years and only two of his 12 children are still alive.
But he’s been blessed with many grandchildren.
He lives with two of his granddaughters, Neliswe, 44, and Makhosazane, 27.
He said: “Too many to count.
“There must have been about 40 of them.
“There are also a bunch of great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.”
Despite his advanced age, his health is good, too.
He said: “I have never been admitted to a hospital for a serious illness.
“It’s just my legs that are a bit troublesome.”
The family clearly have good genes all around – his younger brother, Mooi is 99 years old.
Ben lives in the village of Silobela, just outside Carolina, in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Last year, the town had a big party to celebrate his 110th year alive.
Ben added: “It was a nice party.
“There was even a band.”
Ben’s granddaughter Makhosazane said: “Maybe he’ll make it into the Guinness World Record book – but for the town it doesn’t really matter.
“He’s already a legend and that’s all that really matters.”
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