Africa is in mourning after waking up to the news that the 54-year-old former Nigerian international had suffered a cardiac arrest in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The experienced coach was recently linked with a move to the Bucs, with the Soweto giants’ boss paying tribute to the departed mentor.
“It's a great loss,” Khoza told EWN Sport. “He made history as one of the few men to represent his country at AFCON and the World Cup.
“He brought a lot of confidence and motivation to players and coaches looking to make their mark.”
Khoza then spoke of his side’s link with Keshi, revealing that there was at one stage a “70% chance” he would come and coach in the PSL.
“Keshi to Pirates? There was a possibility before he joined the Nigerian national team,” he said.
“It's regrettable because at some time we were expecting him to be a coach in South Africa.
“It would've been nice to have a player and coach of his calibre at Pirates.
“At the time when he came from Togo, there was about a 70% that he would come to South Africa.
“There are a lot of Nigerian supporters in South Africa. This time around there were no discussions opened.”