Pretoria – Amid multiple allegations of misconduct, abuse of public resources, nepotism, and ethics breaches, President Cyril Ramaphosa has sacked Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe.
Announcing the move on Thursday, 14 May 2026, the Presidency said in a terse statement: “President Cyril Ramaphosa has, in terms of section 91(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, removed Minister Sisisi Tolashe from the position of Minister of Social Development”.
“In the interim, President Ramaphosa has appointed Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga as the acting minister in the portfolio pending a full-time appointment in due course,” the statement said.
For weeks, Tolashe, who is also the President of the African National Congress’s Women’s League (ANCWL), has been the subject of adverse media reports.
Around 2023, she allegedly received or facilitated two BAIC Beijing X55 SUVs with a combined value of R1 million donated by Chinese representatives for the ANCWL.
Tolashe reportedly misled Parliament about their purpose and use, with the vehicles registered in her children’s names instead.
She was also accused of irregular appointments in her department and reckless spending on an overseas trip.
Tolashe allegedly appointed her relative Lesedi Mabiletja as a private secretary and then acting chief of staff, a senior job that she did not qualify for.
Recently, Tolashe has been accused of docking the pay of her state-funded helper intended for official ministerial residences in Cape Town/Pretoria, whom she was allegedly deployed to her private residence in East London for personal household duties.
Political parties have welcomed Tolashe’s dismissal.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it welcomed her dismissal after the “relentless pressure applied” for her removal from Cabinet.
“Mrs Tolashe’s position in the Cabinet was untenable, and the President has done the right thing,” stated the DA.
ActionSA said “this outcome is a clear vindication” of its “relentless efforts to expose corruption at the highest levels of government”.
RISE Mzansi stated that it views Tolashe’s dismissal as a necessary step toward restoring the public’s trust in a department that serves the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
