Cyril Ramaphosa, Paul Mashatile and 3 Other South African Politicians Who Gave Love Another Chance
Politicians might be seen as stoic people who only focus on rallying the masses for votes and dishing out empty promises. However, like most people, some South African politicians are hopeless romantics who have gone out of their way to find the right person that makes their hearts skip a beat.
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Briefly News takes a look at a few Mzansi politicians who seem to be suckers for love and toiled away until they found the love of their lives.
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1. Paul Mashatile finds love again after the death of his wife in 2020
Newly appointed Deputy President Paul Mashatile was the talk of Mzansi after pictures of him and his new wife popped up online over the weekend.
While many celebrated the DP's new marriage because he lost his wife, Manzi Ellen Mashatile, in 2020 after a long battle with cancer, many side-eyed Mashatile over his new bride, Humile Mjongile.
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According to IOL, the deputy president's new wife, Humile, is the widow of former ANC Western Cape secretary Songezo Mjongile, who happened to be Mashatile's close friend.
Songezo died also died in 2020 after battling colon cancer. His widow, Humile, started a foundation in honour of her late husband to raise awareness about colon cancer.
Mashatile and Humile seem to have a lot in common as they both suffered significant losses due to cancer, but that did not stop people from questioning when the pair got together since they had only been widowed for a short three years.
The new couple got hitched in a private ceremony, and Mashatile's spokesperson Keith Khoza hinted that the pair might throw a big celebration to honour their love.
2. President Cyril Ramaphosa continued to find love after two failed marriages
It would be an injustice to write a list of politicians who found love again without mentioning South Africa's current President, Cyril Ramaphosa. The president has had his fair share of drama in the relationship world and has two failed marriages to show for it.
In 1978, Ramaphosa married his first wife, Hope Ramaphosa, and the couple had a son, Andile Ramaphosa, in 1981, according to Buzz South Africa. The marriage ended in 1989, nine years after Andile was born.
The end of Ramaphosa's first marriage did not deter the president from seeking love again and in 1991, the president wed his second wife, Nomazizi Mtshotshisa.
Nomazizi and Ramaphosa were definitely not compatible. Although they have one child together, the couple called it quits in 1993.
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Ramaphosa's hopes to find the love of his life did not end with his second marriage, and by the stroke of luck, the president married his current wife, Dr Tshepo Motsepe, in 1996. Ramaphosa hit the billionaire jackpot because his wife is Patrice Motsepe's sister.
The Motsepe family has a few billionaires, including Brigette Motsepe, who is married to politician Jeff Radebe. Ramaphosa's billionaire status and his in-laws' status make them a wealthy black family.
Ramaphosa and his current wife have three children together.
3. Former President Kgalema Motlanthe marries his affair partner, Gugu Mtshali
Former President Kgalema Montlanthe is quite a controversial figure when it comes to relationships and marriages. Although he has only been married twice, Montlante's relationships seem to have been marred with affairs.
Motlanthe's marriage to his first wife was rocky from the beginning. According to TimesLIVE, Mapula cheated on Motlanthe while he was in prison at Robben Island, and a little girl was the result of that affair.
While serving as the president of South Africa, Motlanthe was accused of fathering a child with a 24-year-old woman, but those allegations turned out to be false.
Motlanthe filed for divorce from his estranged wife in 2011, and the divorce was only finalised a few months before he wed his second wife, Gugu Mtshali, in 2014.
According to IOL, Gugu and Motlanthe's secret relationship had been going on for years while they were both married. The couple met at Luthuli House in 2002 when Motlanthe served as ANC secretary-general, and Gugu worked as Mathew Phosa's secretary.
The couple was reportedly first publicly spotted at Fikile Mbalula's 40th birthday bash in October 2011. Gugu and Motlanthe's affair allegedly led to the breakdown of her marriage in 2008.
The pair are coy about how long they have been together, but the relationship was not much of a secret to ANC insiders.
4. Tokyo Sexwale marries the love of his life, 38 years his junior
Like most of the men on this list, billionaire businessman and politician Tokyo Sexwale gave love a third chance after ending his 21-year marriage with Judy van Vuuren in 2014.
The couple met at Robben Island while he was a prisoner and she was a paralegal. The pair tied the knot after he was released in the 1990s. Sexwale was significantly younger than his wife and had been married before meeting Judy.
According to News24, the couple's divorce was rocky as the former Cabinet minister's ex-wife claimed in court papers that she was forced out of their shared Johannesburg home when things went sour.
Judy also claimed that Sexwale cancelled her credit cards and believed that he had wealth hidden. At the time, she wanted Sexwale to pay R150 000 in monthly maintenance because she alleged the billionaire lived a lavish lifestyle, spending R2 million per month.
Although their relationship ended on a bitter note, Sexwale fell in love again with Natacha da Silva, who is 38 years his junior.
According to IOL, the billionaire met his wife in 2013 while she was a law student and model. She was 22 years old at the time, and he was 60. After being together for close to a decade, the couple said "I do" in a lavish ceremony in 2022.
5. DA leader John Steenhuisen finds love again despite cheating
Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen has had his fair share of failed relationships. The opposition party leader was married to Julie Steenhuisen from 2000 to 2010, according to IOL.
Steehuisen admitted on the Podcast and Chill with MacG that his relationship with Julie ended after he confessed to cheating and finding someone else.
The DA leader's affair partner and now current wife, Terry, was married to former DA provincial director Michael Beaumont. Beaumont left the DA and is now a leader in ActionSA.
There seems to be no love lost between Steenhuisen and his wife because he referred to her as "roadkill", which angered a few South Africans.
Julius Malema honours his wife of 8 years and shares secret to their successful marriage, SA shows them love
Briefly News previously reported that Julius Malema and his gorgeous wife, Mantwa Matlala, celebrated their eight-year wedding anniversary. To mark the special occasion, the EFF leader took to his Instagram account to pen a heartfelt message honouring his wife and their strong bond.
According to the South African politician, friendship is at the centre of a successful marriage. In the post he wrote:
“Exemplary black love, the secrecy to 8 years of unbroken bond in marriage is being best friends. We only have the two of us when confronted by upheaval and not relying on defeatists. Happy 8th anniversary, my babe; madly in love with you. ❤️"
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Source: Briefly News
