President Cyril Ramaphosa fires Sisisi Tolashe as Social Development Minister

President Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed Sisisi Tolashe from her role as Minister of Social Development.

The Presidency confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that Ramaphosa acted in terms of Section 91(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, which grants the president authority to appoint and remove ministers.

The removal of Tolashe came after growing calls from ActionSA and the Democratic Alliance for Cyril Ramaphosa to act against her over allegations involving two luxury SUVs allegedly meant for the ANC Women’s League.

Sindisiwe Chikunga has been appointed as acting Minister of Social Development pending a permanent appointment.

Meanwhile, the Forum for South Africa (FOSA) has welcomed the president’s decision, saying it had consistently maintained that Tolashe was unfit to hold office.

In a statement, FOSA said the dismissal reaffirmed the principle that public office must be occupied by individuals who uphold integrity, transparency and constitutional values.

The organisation added that positions of authority should not shield officials from accountability and called on authorities to ensure that any alleged wrongdoing is fully investigated.

FOSA further said accountability should extend beyond politics and include legal consequences where necessary.