Minister Tolashe denies role in irregular R1.4m appointment of PA, blames ex-chief of staff

Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe has denied that she undermined a Cabinet decision or made irregular staff appointments in her department.

She described the allegations as false, defamatory, and designed to distract from her efforts to clean up governance in the social development sector.

Addressing the Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Social Development on Thursday, Tolashe said the accusations, widely reported across social and mainstream media, were part of a deliberate campaign to damage her credibility and derail her reform agenda.

“These reports contain false and to some extent unlawful allegations which have the sole intention of causing damage to my reputation and dignity,” she said.

“By extension, they have also been deliberately made to disparage and divert public attention from our concerted efforts to stabilise the DSD portfolio and root out bad apples in the system.”

The allegations come after media reports that her personal assistant, Lesedi Mabiletja, was irregularly appointed as her chief of staff in September 2024.

The 22-year-old, who allegedly lacked the qualifications and experience required for such a senior role, was reportedly earning an annual salary of around R1.4 million.

Mabiletja is also said to be the niece of Tolashe’s special adviser and alleged romantic partner, Ngwako Kgatla.

Tolashe told MPs the appointment process had been handled by her then-chief of staff, Zanele Simmons, and the department’s human resources team.

She said she had no reason at the time to doubt the integrity of the process or the individuals involved. “At the time, I had no reason to suspect that the then Chief of Staff would betray my trust and undermine the recruitment and selection of Ministry support staff,'' said Tolashe. 

She said a preliminary investigation found that Mabiletja’s appointment was based on misrepresentations in her CV, and that serious procedural irregularities were committed. Simmons was found to have acted without authority and to have knowingly submitted a falsified CV in support of the appointment.

“When this matter was brought to my attention, I directed the Accounting Officer to ensure that the allegations are attended to with the necessary urgency and thoroughness,” Tolashe said.

She confirmed that both Simmons and Mabiletja were placed on precautionary suspension. Simmons has since been summarily dismissed and is currently challenging her dismissal through legal processes.

The minister described the suspension as protective rather than punitive, pending the outcome of a full investigation.

Tolashe also responded to concerns about the appointment of Director-General Peter Fhumulani Netshipale .

She explained that the Cabinet had approved his appointment for one year, but that a letter from the Minister of Public Service and Administration had erroneously reflected a five-year term. She said this was a clerical error and was not intended to subvert the Cabinet’s authority.

“Once again and for the record, I did not subvert the Cabinet’s decision contrary to misleading and mischievous media reports,” she told the committee.

“The Cabinet is the supreme decision-making structure and its decisions are binding on all members, myself included, without any exception.”

Addressing the allegations involving her special adviser, Kgatla, Tolashe said he had been accused of double-dipping and failing to declare additional income.

However, she explained that special advisers are appointed by the executive authority under a special dispensation and are not subject to the department’s disciplinary rules.

“In other words, the department has no authority to institute disciplinary proceedings against Mr Kgatla as he is not an employee under the Public Service Act,” she said.

She confirmed the matter had been referred to Kgatla’s previous employer, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, where the alleged misconduct took place.

Tolashe  also confirmed that Chief Director Lumka Oliphant had been placed on precautionary suspension following a report by the Auditor-General that flagged irregular expenditure and poor oversight during her time as acting deputy director-general for corporate support services.

The findings related to the department’s DSDTV platform and the National Integrated Social Protection Information System, including questions around service provider appointments and project spending.

She said the decision to suspend Oliphant was necessary to allow for an unhindered investigation and to maintain stakeholder confidence, especially as the programme involved other departments in the Integrated Justice System cluster.

Tolashe further told the committee that she had removed Ruth Bhengi as Chairperson of the National Development Agency board, citing governance failures and a breakdown in board cohesion. She said Bengu had failed to follow proper procedures during the recruitment and appointment of a chief financial officer, which led to financial losses for the agency.

She also clarified that Thabani Buthelezi  who had been seconded to act as CEO of the NDA, had since returned to his permanent role as chief director for monitoring and evaluation within the department. She said acting in a senior role does not automatically entitle any official to permanent appointment.

Tolashe said her actions had demonstrated a zero-tolerance approach to misconduct, abuse of authority, and procedural breaches. “All interventions have been implemented within the framework of the law to protect the integrity of the public service,” she said.

She confirmed that the matters had been referred to the Public Service Commission for further investigation, and that the department would not make additional public comments until the process was complete.

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za

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