Ma Griet Messelaar: Remembering the legacy of a 106-Year-Old matriarch

The Griqua Nation and the broader South African community are mourning the passing of one of the country’s oldest and most revered matriarchs, Ma Griet Margaret “Koeliemeid” Messelaar, who has died at the remarkable age of 106.

The Matriarch of the Griqua Royal House passed away peacefully under medical care on May 9, 2026, leaving behind a profound legacy of resilience, cultural preservation, and maternal devotion. Her passing marks the end of an era, closing a vital chapter of living history for the Griqua people. Ma Griet was a woman of immense dignity, wisdom, and deep cultural pride whose life embodied the enduring spirit of her heritage, and her memory will undoubtedly continue to inspire generations to come.

According to her son, Captain Aaron Messelaar—head of the Griqua Royal House and deputy secretary-general of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa—the centenarian sustained a fractured hip during a fall on April 30. She was initially admitted to a hospital in Douglas before being advised by doctors to seek further specialized medical attention in Cape Town.

Tragically, she passed away while still under medical care in the Western Cape, just as her family was preparing to transport her. The loss was felt with particular poignancy as it coincided with Mother’s Day weekend, forcing a grieving family to pivot from celebrating their beloved matriarch to organizing her final farewell.

Born on January 1, 1920, Ma Griet was the last surviving sibling and the second eldest of seven children born to Paul and Betty Visser. In 1950, she married Isak Babetjie Messelaar of Campbell, embarking on a journey that would see them build a large, influential family rooted in traditional values. However, tragedy struck in 1971 when her husband passed away, leaving her to raise their family single-handedly during some of South Africa's most challenging historical eras.

Through decades of hardship, sacrifice, and trial, she remained steadfast. She ultimately outlived three of her nine children, who passed away between 2006 and 2021, yet her faith never wavered. In her later years, following the loss of her daughter, she relocated to Elsies River to live with her daughter-in-law, Roseline Messelaar, where she remained a central pillar of strength for her sprawling lineage. At the time of her passing, her immense family tree included six surviving children, up to 27 grandchildren, 67 great-grandchildren, and eight great-great-grandchildren.

To her family and the Griqua people, Ma Griet was far more than a witness to history; she was a living archive of faith, cultural knowledge, and community service. Up until her recent injury, she remained remarkably independent and mobile despite her advanced age, suffering only from arthritis and the gradual onset of dementia in her final years.

She often attributed her extraordinary longevity to her unwavering spiritual faith and her deep-rooted belief in traditional herbal remedies, a wisdom passed down through generations. Her son, Captain Aaron Messelaar, an author of several books on Griqua culture, frequently praised his mother for raising him strictly according to the ancient customs and traditions of their ancestors, ensuring that the flame of their identity was never extinguished.

Beyond her royal status, Ma Griet quietly revolutionized her community through the art of the needle. She was a master seamstress who viewed sewing not merely as a practical skill, but as a lifelong passion and a vital ministry of dignity. Over the decades, she taught countless Griqua women the intricate arts of making bedspreads, darning stockings, and mending clothing. Through these informal workshops, she passed on practical, sustainable knowledge that allowed struggling families to maintain their independence and self-respect. In doing so, she quietly empowered generations of women, fostered self-reliance, and stitched together the very social fabric of her community.

The final rites for the iconic matriarch will be conducted in strict accordance with both the spiritual and cultural traditions of the Griqua people. A traditional cultural funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 30 May 2026, in the historic town of Campbell. Mourners, community leaders, and citizens from across South Africa and neighboring countries are expected to gather to pay their final respects to a woman who touched so many lives.

Reflecting her immense stature, the funeral will be attended by a delegation of traditional leaders of the Khoi and San communities of South Africa, Nama traditional leaders from Namibia, and the leadership of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa, alongside various political and religious dignitaries. Special recognition has been extended to the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr. Zamani Saul, whose attendance is viewed by the family as a profound gesture of state respect toward one of the province’s most treasured elders.

Ma Griet will be laid to rest with full traditional honours next to her late husband in the sacred family acre of the Messelaar lineage at Onder Campbell. This ancestral land, deeply bound to memory and heritage, will serve as the final resting place for a woman who spent a century anchoring her people. As the Griqua Nation prepares to say goodbye, the Messelaar family has expressed its deepest gratitude for the overwhelming wave of support, prayers, and condolences received from across the subcontinent, proving that while Ma Griet has passed on, her legacy of selfless love and resilience remains permanently etched into the heart of the nation.