Johanna was born on July 28th, 1878 and her baptism took place on December 15th, 1878 in Barkley East. Johanna's father was Stephanus Petrus Bekker and her mother was Helena Catharina Malan. She had two sisters named Magrita and Cornelia. She was the second oldest of the three children. She had a half-sister named Johanna.