Deputy President Paul Mashatile told Parliament on Thursday that President Cyril Ramaphosa acted against former Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe after she failed to provide a “satisfactory explanation” over two luxury SUVs allegedly donated to the ANC Women’s League.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
Deputy President Paul Mashatile says President Cyril Ramaphosa fired former Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe after she failed to provide a “satisfactory explanation” regarding two Chinese luxury vehicles allegedly donated to the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL).
Mashatile was responding to oral questions in the National Assembly on Thursday.
During the questioning session, Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Baxolile Nodada asked whether it was inappropriate for Cabinet members to fail to declare luxury gifts received from foreign governments and what action the government intended to take in such cases.
Mashatile said the government's position on the matter was clear.
“Transparency and accountability are non-negotiable. Members of the executive are required, in terms of the Executive Members’ Ethics Code, to disclose all gifts above the prescribed threshold, including those received from foreign governments,” he said.
He added that failure to declare such gifts would constitute a breach of the code.
“In this regard, the code states the following: a member must not accept any reward, benefit or gift from any person or body that is intended, or is an attempt, to corruptly influence that member in the exercise of his or her duties or responsibilities as a public representative,” Mashatile said.
He also said that MPs were required, under Parliament’s Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members’ Interests, to disclose private interests to avoid conflicts between personal gain and public duty.
“In my capacity as Leader of Government Business, I continue to emphasise strict compliance with ethical codes and will support any process necessary to ensure enforcement, including referral to the relevant ethics authorities where warranted,” he said.
Ramaphosa recently removed Tolashe as minister of social development in a Cabinet reshuffle.
Her dismissal followed mounting pressure from opposition parties over allegations linked to two BAIC Beijing X55 SUVs - one white and one yellow.
They were allegedly donated by Chinese representatives in late 2023 for the ANCWL.
The vehicles are estimated to be worth between R400,000 and R500,000 each.
Tolashe has been accused of allowing the vehicles to be registered in the names of her children.
ActionSA and DA opened criminal cases in Cape Town and approached Parliament’s portfolio committee to request an inquiry into allegations of maladministration in Tolashe’s department.
DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis reportedly wrote to Ramaphosa on 30 April demanding Tolashe’s dismissal.
Sindisiwe Chikunga, minister in the Presidency for women, youth and persons with disabilities, has since been appointed acting minister of social development until a permanent replacement is named.
Additional allegations against Tolashe include the extension of her department director-general’s contract and the appointment of 22-year-old Lesedi Mabiletja as acting chief of staff. Mabiletja is the niece of Tolashe’s special adviser, Ngwako Kgatla.
Tolashe has denied wrongdoing, saying departmental processes handled the appointments.
She also faces allegations involving a state-funded food aide who allegedly worked at her private home in the Eastern Cape instead of her official residences in Pretoria or Cape Town.
The aide reportedly paid half of her R15,000 monthly salary to Tolashe’s daughter for household expenses. Tolashe denied involvement in the arrangement.
In a supplementary question, Nodada said the DA welcomed Tolashe’s dismissal but argued that it was insufficient.
“The receipt of personal luxury gifts must be banned,” he said.
Nodada also referred to allegations involving Mashatile, including claims relating to a diamond allegedly gifted to his wife by alleged diamond dealer Louis Liebenberg.
He said Liebemberg is facing fraud, racketeering and money laundering charges, as well as Mashatile’s alleged ties to businessman Edwin Sodi.
However, the Ethics Committee previously said that Mashatile be reprimanded and fined R10,000 for failing to disclose the diamond in the confidential section of the register of financial interests.
Mashatile previously indicated that he was waiting for a professional appraisal of the diamond to determine its value before making the necessary declaration.
He also said that he had surrendered the diamond to the National Prosecuting Authority, but this was rejected by the committee, insisting that Mashatile should have disclosed the diamond gift and its actual value later.
Mashatile defended the accountability processes followed in Tolashe’s case.
“Tolashe, as a minister, appeared before the Ethics Committee, the ANC Integrity Commission and the president. Accountability did kick in,” he said.
“We must commend the president for having taken steps when he realised that the explanation was not satisfactory.”
Mashatile said ethical rules applied equally to everyone.
“Nobody is above the law. Not the president, not the deputy president, not ministers, not members of Parliament,” he said.
“All of us abide by the law. That's why the President, when the issue was raised that I'm sure Parliament is dealing with.
“His first response was, yes, let's allow Parliament to deal with these issues. I will abide by the processes that Parliament is going to undertake. What else do we want? What else do we want? he asked.
Mashatile also referred to the ongoing Phala Phala scandal controversy involving Ramaphosa.
The Constitutional Court recently ruled that Rule 129I of the National Assembly’s rules was unconstitutional and invalid.
The ruling overturned Parliament’s December 2022 decision not to refer the Section 89 independent panel report on Ramaphosa’s conduct in the Phala Phala matter to an impeachment committee.
The panel, chaired by former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, found that Ramaphosa had questions to answer regarding the theft of $580,000 hidden in a sofa at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo in February 2020.
Ramaphosa has denied wrongdoing and described the panel’s report as “flawed”.
He has also said he will not resign despite calls from opposition parties to step down.
Ramaphosa is reportedly seeking permission from the Office of the Chief Justice to launch a judicial review of the Section 89 panel report, as required under Section 47 of the Superior Courts Act because judges served on the panel that investigated him.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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