Khusela Diko: Biography, Age, Qualifications, Salary, Child
February 5, 2025Khusela Diko is a South African politician, public servant, and communications strategist. She was President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson from March 2018 to July 2020.
Ms Diko has also held notable positions for her party, the African National Congress (ANC). She served as the head of communications for the ANC from 2016 to 2018. She later joined the Gauteng provincial government as the head of communications.
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| Quick Facts | |
| Name: | Khusela Diko (née Sangoni) |
| Place of birth: | Mthatha, Eastern Cape |
| Parents: | Nkosikazi Nolwandle Sangoni |
| Education: | Bachelor of Commerce |
| Alma mater: | University of South Africa |
| Occupation: | Politician, public servant, and communications strategist |
| Party: | African National Congress |
| Spouse: | Jacob Khawe (div.) Chief Thandisizwe Diko |
| Children: | 1 |
Early life
Khusela Diko was born to Nkosikazi Nolwandle Sangoni. She is a princess of the Nobetha clan of the abaThembu of the Eastern Cape.
Education
Diko attended Collegiate Girls High School in Port Elizabeth and matriculated in 1993. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of South Africa.
Career
One of Diko’s notable political roles was serving as the spokesperson to President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2018. She had also served as the spokesperson for the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League.
Ms. Khusela was the chief director of communications in the provincial government of Gauteng. She is the first woman to be appointed as the President’s spokesperson.
In June 2016, she became the national communications manager for the national ANC.
The public servant is a member of the African National Congress party. In 2018, she served on the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC’s Gauteng branch. In March, she resigned from the position.
Her appointment as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson took effect on 12 March 2018. She had to take a leave of absence from the Presidency during an investigation into her husband’s involvement in an alleged PPE tender scandal.
After concluding the investigation, they found Diko guilty of failing to disclose her interests in certain companies. The M&G reported that she still drew a salary estimated to be R1.3 million a year. She fell under the salary bracket of a government chief director.
In July 2020, Diko won another term in office in the Gauteng ANC’s Provincial Executive Committee.
In December 2022, she was also elected to a five-year term on the party’s National Executive Committee. The leadership of the ANC Youth League supported her candidacy.
The Presidency later confirmed the completion of a disciplinary process against her. She did not return as the President’s spokesperson but to a different position in the public service.
Personal life
Khusela Diko was married to politician Jacob Khawe, but their marriage ended in divorce. She later married Chief Thandisizwe Diko, King Madzikane II of the amaBhaca of kwaBhaca in the Eastern Cape.
The couple first met in 2015 and became legally married in 2016. They had a two-day traditional royal wedding in December 2018. The wedding started at Qokolweni, Khusela’s home and moved to the Elundzini Great Place at Ncutheni village in KwaBhaca in the Eastern Cape
Diko welcomed their child, Milani ZwelamaBhaca Kungawo Diko, in August 2021.
She lost her husband to a short illness in February 2021. She wrote a heartfelt tribute to her late husband during his funeral at Mount Frere in the Eastern Cape.
References
- Lubabalo Ngcukana. “Kusela Diko to her husband: ‘My heart has broken into a million pieces since the first time I learnt of your passing’ accreditation“. City Press.
- Lizeka Tandwa. “Guilty: ANC orders Diko to step aside“. Mail and Guardian.
- Staff Reporter. “Khusela Diko takes leave after R125m PPE tender scandal linked to husband“. IOL.
- Theo Nyhaba. “Diko grateful for late husband’s gift: a child“. Sunday World.
- Juniour Khumalo. “Khusela Diko cleared, but won’t return as Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, office confirms accreditation“. News24.
- Ziyanda Zweni. “Presidential spokesperson’s wedding unites royal clans“. SowetanLIVE.
