Tolashe’s SUVs delivered to Luthuli House
Two luxury Chinese-made SUVs at the centre of a donation scandal appeared at Luthuli House this weekend, days after ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) president Sisisi Tolashe claimed she had kept them in her family to ‘safeguard’ them from creditors.
Several sources told the Sunday Times that the two cars arrived at the ANC headquarters in Johannesburg at about 2am on Friday morning.
Sources close to Tolashe also revealed that she will tell the ANCWL’s NEC, that the cars have been used by her office since they were donated about two years ago.
It was not immediately clear if this is the same explanation Tolashe gave to the ANC’s Integrity Commission when she appeared before the body last week.
ANCWL insiders described the league as deeply divided, with some leaders pushing for Tolashe to step aside and face a formal internal investigation. The NWC, which met on Saturday ahead of the NEC meeting, is expected to recommend an investigation.
Meanwhile, a Department of Social Development ‘food aide’, was told she would work at one of Tolashe’s two official residences, situated in Cape Town and Pretoria.
Instead, she ended up working and living at the Minister’s private residence in East London, along with other members of Tolashe’s family.
Daily Maverick reports that she was also required to pay around half her government-funded salary monthly to Tolashe’s daughter, Kanyisa, to contribute towards household expenses.
Both her employment at Tolashe’s private residence at the government’s expense and her mandatory monthly payments to help subsidise the household would appear to be violations of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) regulations for members of the executive, as laid out in the Ministerial Handbook, as well as possibly the Public Service Act.
According to the Ministerial Handbook, Cabinet Ministers are entitled to employ one ‘food aide’ at government expense.
‘Normally, food aides form part of the staff establishment appointed in the Private Office of the Minister,’ DPSA spokesperson Sakhikhaya Dlala told DM.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
