Minister of social development Sisisi Tolashe informed ANC MPs hours before her appearance in parliament on Wednesday that she would not respond to certain questions, according to a leaked recording obtained by the Sunday Times.
In the audio, Tolashe — who also serves as president of the ANC Women’s League — is heard setting limits on what she would address when she appears before parliament’s social development portfolio committee.
Tolashe has been in the news in recent weeks over a series of controversies including failure to declare donated cars, alleged mistreatment of a staff member and dodgy recruitment of staff in her ministry.
“I wouldn’t want to respond to anything else tomorrow that does not talk to what you brought me for in the committee. I’m not prepared, until there is something written that seeks to ask a question on what I have done,” she told her comrades in the planning meeting, chaired by ANC MP Stanley Ramaila, who backed Tolashe and urged party members to close ranks.
“To the extent that you have given, this explanation suffices … these are organisational matters. It’s our responsibility as ANC members to take defence of our own when under attack, and I think that is what we need to do tomorrow, so that we can give space to any investigation to conclude these matters,” Ramaila said.
Tolashe appeared before parliament on Wednesday under mounting pressure following the string of allegations of impropriety that have intensified scrutiny of her leadership at the department of social development.
Among the controversies that opposition MPs want her to address are allegations that she led a R3m departmental trip to New York, misled parliament over the appointment of director-general Peter Netshipale, and shielding her special adviser Ngwako Kgatla from accountability linked to his previous government role.
She has also faced backlash over the appointment of an allegedly unqualified relative of Kgatla as her chief of staff — a decision she later reversed after whistle-blowers raised concerns.
The latest controversy centres on claims that two vehicles donated for use by the ANC Women’s League were instead given to her children.
Addressing ANC MPs who serve in the social development oversight committee a day before her parliamentary appearance, Tolashe sought to downplay some of the allegations, saying the Public Service Commission was handling claims related to irregular appointments.
She told MPs that accusations regarding the hiring of an unqualified adviser had already been dealt with by her department, adding that processes involving the department of public service and administration would determine outcomes.
Tolashe also dismissed fresh claims that an aide had channeled money into her daughter’s account.
“I don’t know what they are talking about, until I get clarification. My name does not appear there, but I’m told it’s my daughter. The centre is the paper that is called Daily Maverick,” she said, referring to reporting by Daily Maverick which broke the stories.
She further linked some of the allegations to former senior communications official Lumka Oliphant, whom she accused of orchestrating a campaign against her and the department after being suspended.
“The other things that have been haunting us since we suspended Oliphant … she went publicly and told us she is going to fight and make sure that everybody is out of the department. We see her efforts because she is in the centre of this,” Tolashe said.
Oliphant’s case, she added, stemmed from an auditor-general query into her work and remains unresolved, with investigations nearing completion.
The leaked recording is likely to deepen political tensions as Tolashe battles to contain the fallout from the growing list of allegations, while raising fresh questions about the ANC’s internal handling of accountability ahead of parliamentary oversight.
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