Khusela Diko was born in 1979 and is 45 years old as of today. Many South Africans would know Khusela Diko through her role as the presidential spokesperson.
Khusela Diko has been in the news in recent times over allegations of corruption. She also recently lost her husband, Nkosi Thandisizwe Diko, who passed away in February 2021. In her tribute to her late husband, Khusela made it known to the world that death had robbed her of a companion and a life partner. Thandisizwe’s widow said she never believed a day would come when she will be expected to bid her spouse a final goodbye. But the day did come, and she is doing her utmost to overcome the irreparable loss.
Khusela Diko Is The Daughter Of A Prominent South African Lawyer
Born in Mthatha located in the Eastern Cape, Khusela Diko’s year of birth is captured as 1979, however, her exact date of birth is not known. Obviously a South African native, Diko is the daughter of George Bizos – a renowned lawyer who ran a law firm that takes credit for churning out many of the best legal minds in all of South Africa. The firm contributed to the fight against apartheid, representing a good number of activists and freedom fighters during the 1980s. George Bizos was also among the lawyers that executed the will left by the legendary Nelson Mandela.
Diko’s mother, on the other hand, has been identified as Masivuye Sangoni who earned a living as a teacher. Though the names of her siblings are not readily available, they are said to be two in number, and together, they were brought up in a Christian home.
According to her academic history, Khusela Diko completed her primary and secondary school education in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Proceeding to the University of South Africa for further academic qualifications, she studied Commerce, graduating with a Bachelors’ degree. Given her family background, Diko has always harbored plans of going back to school to study law, According to reports, she is currently fulfilling that dream and will soon bag her LLB.
Khusela Has Achieved Quite A Lot In Her 40s
Khusela Diko’s political journey started with the African National Congress who deemed her worthy to serve as its communication manager, manning the Information and Publicity department. However, she first served with the party’s spokesperson for the Youth League and worked with Paul Mashatile – ANC’s Treasurer General as the spokesperson.
Khusela was really diligent in serving the party, handling all media-related issues and in March 2018, she waded her way into the exalted position of the president’s spokesperson and head of communications.
The SA native has been described as a woman of great passion, ambition as well as resilience. Besides, she displays an unflinching loyalty to the ANC which played a key role in her rise to prominence. In appreciation Diko has given enough credits to her party comrades whose support she said has brought her thus far. She has also acknowledged the role played by Angie Motshekga – the SA Basic Education Minister and the ANC Women’s League for propelling her to fame.
Khusela Was 39 When She Tied The Connubial Knot
How and when Khusela Diko met her spouse, Thandisizwe Diko, is not in the public space but according to kept records, Qokolweni village and kwaBhaca witnessed another royal wedding as the duo was joined together as husband and wife in December 2018.
The ceremony, which had the whole of South Africa in awe, lasted for a couple of days. The first day being the 14th of December, 2018, the ball was put in the court of the bride’s family as they hosted hundreds of guests in their hometown in Qokolweni village. The groom’s hometown, kwaBhaca, was the venue for the second-day celebration as the guests came down in their numbers, sporting colorful traditional attires.
The guest list to Khusela and Thandisizwe’s wedding was a stellar one, comprising of the crème de la crème of the SA political world. In attendance were a plethora of SA royalties, several members of the African National Congress, and top governmental officials. In fact, it earned the title of the best traditional wedding of 2018. Though their marriage lasted barely three years before Thandisizwe’s demise, there is no information about their children.
Thandisizwe Diko Is Of Royal Blood
Known with the full name Bhaca King Madzikane II Thandisizwe Diko, Khusela Diko’s husband belongs to the echelon of South Africa’s royalty. Until his demise, he wielded the big stick in the Amabhaca tribe as their king and national chief. From what is perceivable, Thandisizwe was not just an ordinary royal. The man could hold his own in the wheeling-dealing world of business. He was identified as the sole director of a company known as Royal Bhaca.
Thandisizwe and his wife made the headlines following allegations that Royal Bhaca irregularly received a tender to the tune of R125 million from the Health Department in Gauteng to supply personal protective equipment (PPE). This news got the media houses in a reporting frenzy as they recorded different versions of the story. At the end of the day, the contract was canceled and money did not exchange hands. The whole ordeal, however, earned Khusela Diko a compulsory leave/suspension in January 2021 for allegedly influencing the contract to go to her husband’s company.
He Died In February 2021
Barely a month after his wife was suspended from office, sad news about Thandisizwe Diko hit the airwaves. The husband of the suspended presidential spokesperson was at a hospital in East London when he died on the 21st of February 2021; it happened on a Sunday afternoon.
A confirmation of the news soon came from the brother of the deceased, Vulithuba Sangoni, who revealed that he died after a brief illness. As at the time of his death, Khusela Diko was believed to be in Gauteng. Following the sad news, South Africans flooded social media to express their condolences to the widow.
What Khusela Had To Say About Her Husband’s Passing
Nothing much was heard from Khusela Diko until her husband’s funeral was hosted at Mount Frere, Eastern Cape. It was here that her moving tribute to the late king was revealed. Obviously, the widow couldn’t stand to read the tribute which was eventually read on her behalf by Rethabile Matolweni. According to the tribute, Khusela said the news of her husband’s demise broke her heart into a million pieces. Describing the letter as the most difficult piece she has ever written in her life, the presidential spokesperson said she has been robbed of a companion and life partner.
Going further in her tribute, Khusela said she never expected to stand and bid her husband farewell so soon, not after he promised over and over to never leave her. The widow mentioned how Nkosi Thandisizwe Diko lived his life as if every day was his last; being the kind of person that appreciates the fact that everyone will pass one day. In her conclusion, she said they only spent seven years together, but those short years were packed full of love, the greatest she ever felt in her entire life.
