Ramaphosa axed Tolashe after calling her to explain herself

President Cyril Ramaphosa has told parliament that he decided to axe social development minister Sisisi Tolashe after going through a report she submitted to him explaining herself on a range of allegations she is facing.

Just hours before Ramaphosa appeared before the National Assembly to answer MPs’ oral question, his office announced that he had fired Tolashe with immediate effect.

He appointed Sindisiwe Chikunga, the minister in the Presidency responsible for women, youth and persons with disabilities to act in the position pending a permanent appointment.

Tolashe was fired after months of allegations of wrongdoing and possibly corruption, which placed Ramaphosa under pressure to act.

These included allegations that she failed to declare the donation of two luxury BAIC vehicles from the Chinese embassy which she allegedly hid by registering them under her children’s name.

In her explanation, Tolashe said she did not declare the cars as required in parliament because they were not donated to her but to the organisation she leads, the ANC Women’s League.

Her explanation for not registering the cars under the ANCWL was that she was “safeguarding” them from potentially being seized by ANC creditors should the ANCWL’s assets go under the hammer.

Political parties ActionSA and the DA had laid a criminal case against her.

Tolashe was also reportedly at odds with Ramaphosa over the extension of her director-general Fhumulani Netshipale’s contract from the one year approved by Cabinet to five years. Netshipale has since retired.

Allegations also emerged that Tolashe’s food aide, hired by the state to work at her official state home, was transferred to her private home in East London and was paying a portion of her state-funded salary to Tolashe’s daughter.

Ramaphosa axed Tolashe after calling her in to explain herself this week.

“On the basis of various reports in the media, as well as representations in Parliament, I requested the then minister of social development to furnish me with the report on all these matters. I had a discussion with the minister and gave her an opportunity to set out her case,” said Ramaphosa.

“Now, having considered all these submissions by the minister, and mindful of the conduct expected of members of the executive, I have decided to remove the minister from the position of minister of social development, in terms of section 91.2 of the constitution.”

“An announcement to this effect was made by my office earlier today, and in her stead I have pointed an acting minister. Minister Chikunga will act while I give further consideration to what should happen in that portfolio.”

The president is never required to disclose the reasons why they appoint or ... remove any member of the executive and I intend to stick by that convention and practice.

—  President Cyril Ramaphosa

Ramaphosa said he would not disclose publicly the exact reasons he gave Tolashe when he informed her of his decision to fire her from his cabinet.

“The president is never required to disclose the reasons why they appoint or ... remove any member of the executive and I intend to stick by that convention and practice,” he said.

Ramaphosa’s decision came just days after an interim report of the ANC’s integrity commission is said to have recommended that he remove Tolashe from the cabinet.

According to ANC sources, the interim report suggested that the integrity commission was not convinced by Tolashe’s explanation regarding the donation of two vehicles from the Chinese embassy which she registered in her children’s names.

Sunday Times last month revealed that Tolashe told the ANC’s ethics body that she registered the cars in her children’s names merely to safeguard them from potentially being seized.

Sources this week said the integrity commission submitted an interim report to the ANC’s national officials, led by Ramaphosa, which sought to suggest that she should be removed from the cabinet.

The ANC leaders said the report was likely to be amended as Tolashe was meant to go back to the integrity commission to supplement her initial submission.

This comes after the ANCWL top five last week presented a report to national officials which contained details of their engagement with Tolashe.

In the report, which Sunday Times has seen, the ANCWL leaders told the ANC national office bearers that Tolashe had apologised for the mess she created over the cars and that they had accepted her apology.

According to report Tolashe, “without hesitation agreed to meet with the officials, in which she admitted to have received the cars on behalf of the organisation, but instead handed them over to her own children”.

“After interrogating all the allegations regarding this donation, the president (Tolashe) admitted to having taken wrong decisions with regard to this donation and profusely apologised to the officials and to the entire leadership and the organisation at large,” reads the report.

According to the report, Tolashe’s apology was still hinging on the outcome of the unfolding processes including the case that had been opened by ActionSA.

The report also confirmed that the ANCWL had agreed on a process of seeking and locating all its assets that may be in other people’s possession.

“After a marathon of extensive engagement on the matter, the ANCWL NEC resolved as follows: for the NEC to accept the apology from the president (Tolashe). For the NEC to welcome the two cars which were brought back and that they be registered into the asset register of the ANCWL, but for officials to seek legal counsel prior to such registration,” read the report.

“In respect of the entire estate of the ANCWL, the NEC resolved as follows: to source an independent legal entity to perform an extensive investigation in search of the assets of the ANCWL, which are scattered all over the country in different provinces, such as the Malibongwe Development Trust and many other investments. Timeframes [are] be established for this investigation after this independent legal entity has done its preliminary work.”