Minister of Social Development Sisisi Tolashe.
Image: Jairus Mmutle/GCIS
The Department of Social Development (DSD) has come out in defence of Minister Sisisi Tolashe amid national media scrutiny over not only SUVs which were donated and wound up in her possession, but also after allegations were raised that public resources were diverted for private benefit.
The DSD issued a statement on Wednesday morning calling on media practitioners to maintain “a clear distinction between verified facts and information driven by the interests of particular sources”.
This comes as Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, Bridget Masango, raised concern about a media report which details how a worker, appointed and paid through the DSD, was allegedly deployed to perform duties at a private residence. At the residence, the worker alleged she was forced to hand over a significant portion of her salary to a member of the minister’s family.
The department said that while the minister welcomes robust and constructive engagement as part of a healthy democratic environment, “it is inappropriate for media platforms to be used to advance personal grievances or to promote narratives that rely on inflammatory or defamatory language”.
“The department urges adherence to the highest standards of journalistic integrity, ensuring that unverified claims are not presented as established facts before due processes are concluded.
“It is important to distinguish between challenges arising from current reform processes and administrative shortcomings inherited from previous cycles. Some issues recently reported in the media, including matters related to organisational donations and historical recruitment processes, originate from legacy systems that predate the current administration.
“The department is actively addressing these matters to ensure lasting institutional improvement,” the department said.
They said that DSD remains committed to corrective action and that, where administrative irregularities have been identified, decisive steps have been taken to halt such activities and initiate formal investigations.
“All investigations involving departmental officials and advisors are conducted in line with established legal frameworks and internal disciplinary procedures, without any executive interference.
“The minister continues to strengthen governance systems and promote a unified, professional, and merit-based organisational culture. While reform efforts may give rise to internal tensions, the department remains focused on stabilising its governance structures and ensuring that internal matters do not detract from its core mandate,” they said.
“DSD will not substitute due process with media commentary. Its primary focus remains the delivery of essential social protection services and grants to millions of South Africans, while ensuring accountability and integrity within its administrative systems.”
The scrutiny the minister faces will not disappear any time soon, as Masango said the committee will formally request a full briefing from the department, and the minister will also be invited to appear before the committee to respond to these allegations.
Not only have both the Democratic Alliance (DA) and ActionSA opened criminal cases against the minister, but they have also called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to suspend her.
Last week, when asked if she would resign, Tolashe said, “As a minister, you serve at the pleasure of the president. So it will be up to the president to make a decision about me being there, whether the right person to be minister or not.
“So, if we may leave that to the president, and again, about the matter, whether the cars were registered under my children, as I said earlier on, can we leave that to be ventilated by the women's league as well as Parliament?”
The presidency was contacted for comment, but has yet to respond. Parliament’s Ethics Committee is also currently handling two complaints from the DA and the ActionSA against the minister.
Parliament was contacted for comment on the status of the ethics complaints and has yet to respond.
theolin.tembo@inl.co.za