Thandiwe was married to Rupiah Bwezani Banda who died on March 11, 2022. Rupiah was a Zambian politician who served as the fourth president of Zambia from 2008 to 2011, taking over from Levy Mwanawasa, who died as the sitting president. Banda was an active participant in politics from early in the presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, during which time he held several diplomatic posts.
Rupiah Banda married, Thandiwe Banda, a political science teacher, was more than thirty years younger than Banda. Thandiwe Banda served as the First Lady of Zambia during his presidency from 2008 to 2011.
Even though Thandiwe Banda has not told the world how they married, it is public knowledge that she came into the late President’s life at a time had divorced, and stayed single for many years. In fact, she came to fill a boid in Banda’s life.