Mashatile ‘in good health,’ but who is the ‘second lady’?

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has received a thorough medical assessment and is in good health, according to Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba.

Mashatile collapsed during his speech at the N’wamitwa Day celebrations near Tzaneen, Limpopo.

Ramathuba says Mashatile experienced dehydration due to high temperatures.

“The Deputy President has been checked and there is no need for you and I to worry. As a result of the heat the Deputy President has experienced dehydration, and he has got no other condition for you and I to worry about. The challenge he is facing is something that the doctors have been able to manage, and he is in good spirits as we speak,” SABC News reported.

During N’wamitwa Day, Paul Mashatile, addressed the gathering in his role as chairperson of the Presidential Task Team on Traditional and Khoisan Leadership.

Before he collapsed and was escorted from the stage by security and emergency personnel, he expressed a powerful message: “We must collaborate to build a more equitable and united South Africa, as we approach another 30 years of democracy. Let us renew our commitment to the National Development Plan, aiming to end poverty and reduce inequality by 2030.”

N’wamitwa Day marks the inauguration of Her Royal Highness Hosi Dr. N’wamitwa II on 29 August 2008, celebrating her as a trailblazing woman leader among the Vatsonga people.

The ‘second lady’

In photos shared on X before his collapse, Paul Mashatile was seen at a Limpopo event with his wife, Humile Mjongile. Arriving in a striking red pant-suit, Humile later switched to a more traditional outfit.

But who is this elegant, younger woman, and how did she come to be with the “2IC”?

Paul Mashatile’s first wife, Manzi Ellen Mashatile, passed away from Covid-19 in July 2020. Humile’s first husband, former ANC Western Cape secretary Songezo Mjongile, died just three months later after a battle with colon cancer. At the time, Paul was serving as ANC treasurer, The South African reported.

Interestingly, Paul and Songezo were not only ANC colleagues but also friends, with Paul delivering a eulogy at Songezo’s funeral.

While the exact timeline of their relationship is unclear, reports indicate that Paul and Humile attended the wedding of Tokyo Sexwale and Nataxa Da Silva together in 2022. Tokyo was also a guest at Humile and Songezo’s wedding in 2011, where he toasted to their “long and happy lives.”

Paul has four children with his late wife, and Humile has two from her marriage to Songezo. The couple’s wedding took place just days after Paul was inaugurated as South Africa’s new deputy president.

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