Rethabile Khumalo Emotional as She Celebrates First Birthday Without Her Mom, Winnie
- Rethabile Khumalo took to Instagram to share her heartbreak at celebrating her first birthday without her mom
- The singer's mother, legendary Afro-pop star Winnie Khumalo, died in January 2025 after a short illness
- Rethabile previously revealed she was left fighting for her life in hospital after a friend allegedly poisoned her
Source: Getty Images
Rethabile Khumalo recently celebrated a milestone birthday and expressed the pain of doing so without her mom, legendary Afro-pop star Winnie Khumalo.
Winnie died on 7 January 2025 after a short illness, and for Rethabile, the wound is still understandably fresh.
The Ntyilo-Ntyilo hitmaker wrote on Instagram about turning a year older on 9 September 2025 without the woman who gave her life.
“NOTHING PREPARES YOU FOR THE PAIN YOU FEEL ON THE FIRST BIRTHDAY WITHOUT YOUR MOTHER. ‘CELEBRATING’ THE DAY YOU WERE BORN WITHOUT THE HUMAN WHO GAVE YOU LIFE IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. DAMN I MISS MY MOM.”
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Mzansi's words of comfort for Rethabile
Online users flooded her comment section with messages of sympathy and support.
@charlottekotu6 wrote:
"She loved you dearly… Surely she is so proud of the woman you are. You are brave, and she will continue to watch over you always ❤️"
@ofentsebarbie_sa added:
"Happy Birthday, Queen🎉🎉 We never heal, we just learn to live with it🕯️"
@bongisilinda_za said:
"So sorry Rethabile, may God keep strengthening you❤️"
@teeranks_sa commented:
"Happy Birthday Retha, hope the day brings in laughter and peace... you're absolutely amazing 🤍✨️"
DJ Zinhle also offered support in the comments:
"My love ❤️"
The DJ vowed to support Rethabile in any way she needed after news of Winnie's passing broke.
Rethabile Khumalo's allegedly poisoned by a friend
Source: Facebook
Rethabile had a difficult few months leading up to her mother's untimely passing.
The singer revealed that she was poisoned back in June 2024 by a close friend and left to fight for her life in the hospital.
Her mother, Winnie, wrote on Instagram that her daughter had been hospitalised for six days already and had undergone three surgeries to stabilise her condition.
Winnie wrote:
"So I thought I will keep quiet until my daughter is okay... She is fighting for her life. She was poisoned by a so-called friend.”
Rethabile was soon discharged from the hospital but had to be readmitted days later following a health relapse.
Despite the setback, she has thankfully made a full recovery.
In an interview with the Daily Sun, Rethabile shared that she had learned not everyone around her is truly a friend.
"You can't trust everyone around you. It's always safer to keep your circle small. I've learned to limit access to those who truly want to be in my life."
Banyana Banyana allegedly sabotaged in Nigeria
In a previous report, Briefly News wrote on Banyana Banyana star, Portia Modise's claims that the team was poisoned in Nigeria before an important Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the country.
Modise claimed nearly the entire team had to be hospitalised, but that they were ordered to play despite their condition.
Her allegations were met with backlash from Nigerian fans.
Source: Briefly News
