Letoya Makhene (born September 7, 1984, Age: 39 years old) is a South African actress, TV host, and sangoma who is best known for her role in Generations: The Legacy and also for being Brenda Fassie’s backup singer as a child.
Letoya Makhene is one of the renowned names in the South African movie industry, and she is also making a name for herself in the music industry. She has been active in the industry since she was a teenager, and despite being trained by one of South Africa’s best music artists, she doesn’t seem to pay as much attention to music as she does to acting. The actress also has a passion for becoming a spiritual healer – a sangoma.
Ms. Makhene is also one of the few celebrities in South Africa to come out to openly announce herself as a lesbian, considering that this is Africa where homosexuals are not yet accepted fully. She has faced all the criticism and has chosen to “stay true to herself,” as she puts it.
Summary Of Letoya Makhene’s Biography
- Full name: Letoya Makhene
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: September 7, 1984
- Place of birth: Johannesburg
- Letoya Makhene’s Age: 39 years old
- Ethnicity: Black
- Nationality: South African
- Zodiac Sign: Virgo
- Sexual Orientation: Lesbian
- Marital Status: Divorded
- Letoya Makhene’s Ex-Husband: Priviledge Mangezi
- Letoya Makhene’s Children: 4
- Letoya Makhene’s Parents: Blondie Makhene and Agnes Makhene
- Siblings: Gontse Makhene
- Occupation: Actress, Singer
- Active since: 2000s
- Letoya Makhene’s Net worth: $2 million
- Famous for: Her role in Generations: The Legacy and also for being Brenda Fassie’s backup singer as a child.
- Letoya Makhene’s Instagram: letoyamakhenep
- Twitter: @letoyamakhene
Letoya Makhene Is The First Daughter of Veteran South Africa Singer, Blondie Makhene
Letoya Makhene was born on the 7th of September 1984 in Johannesburg. Not much is known about her siblings, but we know that her father was also into entertainment. Letoya is the daughter of Blondie Makhene and Agnes Makhene. Her father, Blondie Makhene, is a legend in the South African music industry, and Letoya Makhene shares many similarities with him. Although she has focused more of her attention on acting than on music, she is also a musician. The only thing we know about her mother is her name.
She Started Her Career In Music At The Age of Seven
Although Letoya Makhene is best known for being an actress today, she started her career in the entertainment industry as a musician. As early as the age of seven, she was a member of the backup team for the legendary music artist Brenda Fassie. Being so young and being a part of Brenda Fassie’s music team made her like a daughter to the music artist, and just like she would treat a daughter, Brenda tutored Letoya Makhene in music.
Over the years, Letoya has since diverted to acting, but she has not totally given up on music. She has released her solo song and has worked with DJ Qness to release a song titled “I Get Weak.” In 2016, she released a song with DJ Chynaman titled “Keep On Trying.” She has even been reported to be preparing for a solo debut album.
Letoya Makhene Is Also A Television Host
Letoya Makhene was the first-ever host of South Africa’s Got Talent in 2003. This was one of the presentations that added value to her name in the entertainment industry. She has also been featured on True Love magazine and issues of Bona.
On Instagram, she has over 750k followers, and her account is full of pictures of herself and her special time with her children and husband. With over 700k followers on Instagram, you will expect that she endorses many products for renowned brands. However, when scrolling through her account, you can barely find pictures or videos of brand endorsement. Letoya Makhene majorly endorses her own products.
Letoya Makhene Started Acting In 2003 At The Age Of 19
Letoya Makhene has been active in the South African entertainment industry for almost two decades. Over the years, she has built a solid name in the South African film and entertainment industry as a whole. However, she has only been featured in just two soap operas, but these two soapies are some of the most popular in South Africa. In 2003, the same year she hosted South Africa’s Got Talent, she landed her first known acting gig in the popular soapie, Isidingo.
And in 2014, she landed one of the biggest roles in her career as part of the cast of Generations: The Legacy. This role contributed to making her as famous as she is today. In the soap opera, she plays the role of Matshidiso, who is the strong-willed wife of a notorious gangster Kumkani Phakade also known as “Gadaffi” and the sister of Tau Mogale. She has been in Generation: The Legacy for over six years now, and the viewers love her naughty character.
Letoya Makhene Claims She Is Called To Be A Spiritual Healer
One thing that Letoya Makhene has always been interested in becoming from her teenage age is a spiritual healer. She was passionate about this that in 2003, she took some time off the screen to train to become a professional sangoma at an initiation school. After some time, she decided to put her passion to practice as a spiritual healer. According to reports, she did this to wait until she finds a safe place to practice.
From the looks of things, Letoya Makhene has started practicing. She owns a brand called “House of Kgwedi,” and she refers to it as a place of natural healing. According to the information available online, you can tell that people book her for natural healing consultancy, and she does not only work with natural plants but also uses cowries. It is easy to perceive it as both a natural and spiritual place.
The Actress Has Been Divorced Before
She is known to be the ex-wife of Privilege Mangesi, a Zimbabwean. Within 9 years, this marriage blessed her three children named Nubia, Tadiwa, and Tamuda. Nothing much is known about her ex-husband and what he does for a living. Considering that she was already active in the entertainment industry during her teenage age, it may be safe to say he got married to her when she was already a celebrity.
Aside from the fact that they had three children, another thing we know about that marriage is that it lasted for only 9 years, as things got sour and they had to go their separate ways. According to the actress, the marriage ended due to physical abuse, and before things got so sour that they went their separate ways, she used to be the one providing for the family.
She has also been reported to date a man known as Tshepo Leeuw, who she started dating in 2016 and is rumored to be the father of her fourth child; however, their relationship did not lead to marriage.
In 2020, Letoya Makhene Came Out As A Lesbian
In 2020, Letoya Makhene surprised her fans and the world when she came out openly about her sexuality and announced that she was a lesbian. This came as a surprise because she is a mother of 4 children and has always been known to be heterosexual. Not long after her great reveal, her lover Lebo Keswa proposed to her romantically, and she said Yes. By October 2020, the two got married, and they are both very much in love with each other from the look of things. Their Instagram handles are filled with pictures of both of them looking all loved up.
According to Letoya, she chose Keswa because Keswa was good in bed, and as you will expect, they have faced a lot of criticism, but from the look of things, there is no going back for the two love birds.
