Social development minister Sisisi Tolashe has tried to explain away a decision to register cars meant for the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) in her children’s names instead. Tolashe, who is also the ANCWL president, received two luxury BAIC vehicles from Chinese officials for the league but did not declare them or register them in the organisation’s name. The matter sparked outrage, and ActionSA opened a criminal case against her as pressure mounted for her to be suspended or to resign amid the fiasco.

When hauled before the ANC’s integrity commission recently, Tolashe reportedly explained that she shifted ownership of the vehicles to prevent their seizure. According to the Sunday Times, she claimed the organisation’s financial woes meant that assets registered with ANC and its leagues were at risk of being attached. Despite the ANCWL previously denying any knowledge of the vehicles, Tolashe said the cars were for the league and so were not declared to Parliament.

Did she privately benefit? She insisted to the commission that she gained no personal benefit from the cars. “I did not acquire the vehicles in question for personal benefit or enrichment.

I did not, at any stage, derive any personal or financial benefit from those vehicles,” she was quoted as saying. However, ActionSA alleged that one of the cars had “already been sold, indicating private benefit.” “The acceptance of high-value ‘gifts’ from a foreign government, particularly where those assets are concealed through family members, raises grave concerns about corruption, undue influence, and abuse of public office,” the party said. “This is a textbook example of how public power can be abused for private gain.” Infighting within social development Minister of Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa, was also accused last week of not declaring luxury vehicles to parliament.

The DA last week said it would call for her to account. “These allegations, if proven true, raise serious concerns about compliance with the Executive Ethics Code, which clearly regulates the acceptance of gifts by members of the Executive. “The DA will ensure that the Minister’s responses are placed on record and subjected to thorough interrogation.

Should there be evidence of a breach of the Executive Ethics Code, the DA will pursue full accountability.” Ramokgopa denied receiving any cars as a donation to the ANC or ANCWL and said she was being dragged into the matter because of alleged infighting within the Department of Social Development. Minister to be given the boot? ActionSA has called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to take action against Tolashe. “We reiterate our call for the president to immediately fire the minister and make an example of her to show that such actions will not be tolerated,” it said.