Ramaphosa Fires Tolashe as DG Scandal, Luxury Cars and War With Staff Bring Down Social Development Minister

By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief, The Azanian  

14 May 2026, Johannesburg

JOHANNESBURG – President Cyril Ramaphosa has pulled the plug on Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe, removing her from Cabinet on Thursday after months of scandal, defiance, and a war with her own department that left the ministry in tatters.

The firing ends a tenure defined by questionable appointments, undeclared luxury gifts, and an escalating fight with former staff that exposed deep dysfunction at the top of the Department of Social Development.

Tolashe’s downfall was triggered by a forensic report titled “Flawed from the Start”, compiled by law firm Mketsu & Associates and completed in October 2025. The report found that Tolashe commissioned an investigation into the irregular appointment of her director-general Fhumulani Netshipale, then refused to cooperate with it.

Investigators concluded it was “highly unlikely” Tolashe was unaware that Netshipale’s contract was extended to five years in defiance of a Cabinet directive for a one-year term with a possible two-year extension. It was also “highly unlikely” that her electronic signature was used without her knowledge or approval.

Tolashe told ANC MPs her signature had been “fraudulently used”. The report disagreed.

The fallout was immediate. The department suspended Ngwako Kgatla, Tolashe’s special adviser, after findings by the Public Service Commission. Kgatla remains on full pay while investigations continue. But the DG contract was only one front in the collapse.

In Parliament last week, Tolashe threw her own daughter under the bus over a “food aide” scandal. She told the portfolio committee on social development that her daughter made her own arrangement for a household employee to share her salary with her. The admission came as she tried to account for multiple scandals that have dogged her since her appointment in 2024.

More damaging was the luxury car saga. Tolashe claimed two Chinese-made SUVs were donated to the ANC Women’s League, which she presides over, and kept them with her family to “safeguard” them from creditors. The ANCWL publicly denied any record of the donation.

The cars turned up at Luthuli House at about 2am on Friday, according to sources who spoke to the Sunday Times. Tolashe’s allies said the timing did not mean they arrived then, but confirmed she delivered them to ANC headquarters.

ActionSA MP Dereleen James laid criminal charges against Tolashe at Cape Town Central police station for allegedly misleading Parliament over undeclared luxury gifts. A Daily Maverick report revealed the vehicles were registered in the names of her children, not the ANCWL.

The war inside the ministry turned personal when Tolashe’s office launched a scathing attack on former spokesperson Lumka Oliphant, accusing her of orchestrating a “deliberate and sustained campaign” to mislead the public and undermine the minister. Oliphant hit back with explosive counter-claims, turning what should have been a routine dismissal into a public brawl.

The ministry had urged media restraint just a day earlier, as investigative reports mounted into alleged misconduct by top leadership.

Political parties have welcomed Ramaphosa’s decision to fire Tolashe, arguing that her position had become untenable. The president acted after scrutiny over alleged ethics breaches, questionable appointments, and the controversial vehicle donations became politically unsustainable.

For the Department of Social Development, the damage is already done. A ministry tasked with protecting the country’s most vulnerable has spent months mired in internal fights, forensic probes, and public humiliation.

Tolashe leaves office with her reputation shredded and criminal charges pending. Her removal may calm the immediate storm, but it does not erase the questions about how she was appointed in the first place, and who else in the ANC looked the other way while the department unraveled.

The message from the Union Buildings is clear: the cost of defiance is now removal. The question is whether it came too late.

Former Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe has been fired by President Cyril Ramaphosa following scandals over undeclared luxury gifts, a disputed DG contract, and public clashes with her department.