Umunya-Afurika y’epfo byibazwa ko ari we mugabo wari ushaje kurusha abandi bose ku isi, yapfuye afite imyaka 116. Ibyangombwa biranga Fredie Blom, bigaragaza ko yavukiye mu ntara ya Eastern Cape mu kwezi kwa gatanu mu mwaka wa 1904, nubwo umuhigo we utigeze ugenzurwa n’igitabo cy’udushya ku isi cya Guinness World Records.

Ubwo yari akiri umusore w’ingimbi, umuryango we wose wishwe n’icyorezo cy’ibicurane byiswe ‘Spanish flu’ cyo mu mwaka wa 1918, cyahitanye abagera kuri miliyoni 50 ku isi.
Yarakomeje arokoka intambara ebyiri z’isi ndetse na politiki n’ubwicanyi bishingiye ku ivanguramoko n’iheza ku batari abazungu, bizwi nka ‘apartheid’ muri iki gihugu.

Mu mwaka wa 2018, Bwana Blom yabwiye BBC dukesha iyi nkuru ko nta banga na rimwe yakoresheje ngo arambe. Yagize ati: “Hari ikintu kimwe gusa, ni umugabo uba aha hejuru [Imana]. Afite ububasha bwose. Jye nta na kimwe mfite. Nshobora gutembagara igihe icyo ari cyo cyose ariko aramfashe”.

Bwana Blom yamaze igihe kinini cy’ubuzima bwe akora akazi k’imirimo y’amaboko irimo no gutwara imizigo, bwa mbere agakorera mu mirima, nyuma agakorera mu bwubatsi – aza kugahagarika gusa ageze mu kigero cy’imyaka ya za 80.

Nubwo mu myaka myinshi ishize yaretse kunywa inzoga, itabi ryo yakomeje kuritumura.
Ariko, amakuru avuga ko ingamba za ‘guma mu rugo’ kubera icyorezo cya coronavirus zashyizweho na leta y’Afurika y’epfo, zatumye adashobora kugura itabi ngo atekere isigareti ye ku isabukuru ye y’imyaka 116 y’amavuko.

Umuryango wa Bwana Blom wavuze ko yapfuye urupfu rusanzwe ejo ku wa gatandatu tariki 22 Kanama 2020, mu mujyi wa Cape Town.

Andre Naidoo, umuvugizi w’umuryango we, yabwiye ibiro ntaramakuru AFP ati:
“Mu byumweru bibiri bishize, sogokuru yari acyasa inkwi. Yari umugabo ukomeye, wumva ko ashoboye”.

Yongeyeho ariko ko mu gihe cy’iyi minsi, Bwana Blom yananutse “ava ku mugabo munini aba umugabo muto”. Bwana Naidoo yavuze ko umuryango we utibaza ko urupfu rwe rwaba hari aho ruhuriye na Covid-19.

Munyaneza Theogene / intyoza.com