ANCWL buddies turn against Tolashe

The ANC Women’s League is set to remove former minister of social development Sisisi Tolashe as its president at its upcoming special national executive committee meeting on Saturday.

Senior insiders say the structure has endorsed the recommendations flowing from the ANC Integrity Commission after it made adverse findings against the beleaguered erstwhile minister.

This leaves only the disciplinary processes that will need to be followed before the Women’s League formalises its position.

A senior ANCWL insider familiar with the discussions inside the structure said Tolashe’s fate had been sealed after the Integrity Commission made the findings.

“We have a meeting [this coming weekend] and that is where her axing will be endorsed at the NEC,” the source said. 

“What’s happening now is that once she goes to the disciplinary committee (DC), it will then go to the NEC (national executive committee).”

The commission’s report nullifies Tolashe’s influence in the league, which, early this month, supported her continued reign as leader. In the meeting, only 10% of the members  called for her to vacate the position because of the alleged abuse of her family’s hired help.

However, after the commission’s findings, which were presented to the ANC NEC last week, the sand seems to have shifted beneath Tolashe’s feet because her support base has been compelled to vote against her.

The recommendation, the source said, was that once she was removed as minister, she would need to resign from all leadership positions.

“She was found guilty of four counts and the recommendation was that, since the president already removed her as minister, she also needs to resign as an MP and as Women’s League president,” the source said.

“Now the only process that’s left for her is the DC. From there, there’s going to be the Women’s League NEC. Then the Women’s League NEC will just endorse it and decide who is leading,” the source said.

“One of the counts is that they found her guilty of abusing women. As a woman who leads a women’s organisation that is supposed to be protecting women from abuse, she’s the one now accused of abusing women; that’s totally unacceptable.” 

The allegations had made Tolashe’s position increasingly difficult to defend inside ANCWL structures. 

“There’s no way that she’s going to survive this. Trust me, she’s gone,” the source said.

“She actually put that department into disarray. People were disgruntled. She brought a lot of divide-and-rule influence and people were not happy. A lot of people left.” 

The source said frustrations about Tolashe’s leadership extended beyond the Women’s League and had become a broader ANC concern.

“Remember, it’s not just a Women’s League issue. It’s a parliamentary issue where she abused her power as minister. A lot of people were complaining about her.” 

The source referred to allegations involving vehicles donated to the ANC Women’s League. “Apparently there were five cars and then we said two or three, something like that, were brought to the house.” 

After Tolashe, former police minister Bheki Cele and three others appeared before the Integrity Commission, an emergency NEC meeting was held, where ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the party had resolved to send their matters to the disciplinary committee.

Ramaphosa removed Tolashe from Cabinet last week and appointed Sindisiwe Chikunga as acting minister of social development. 

One of the most serious findings against Tolashe relates to allegations involving the abuse of women, particularly claims involving her domestic worker. The domestic worker’s allegations have previously surfaced publicly, alongside claims that money linked to the worker’s salary had been redirected.

According to a Daily Maverick investigation, the cars intended for ANC Women’s League activities were allegedly registered in the names of Tolashe’s children. 

While the NEC is expected to address Tolashe’s removal from the position, three sources from the league told the Mail & Guardian that there was a growing discontent among the women in the party that they were treated far more harshly than their male counterparts when there was alleged wrongdoing, even when the men had committed worse acts than the women. 

“The issue, which we also plan to raise, and while we respect the decision of the ANC NEC, is that our women are always removed from their positions more than our male counterparts. 

“All those who are said to have committed atrocities are given the benefit of the doubt when there are investigations. 

“One of the president’s friends [Senzo Mchunu] whose indiscretions were revealed at the Madlanga commission, is sitting comfortably at home with full pay, while our women are chucked out. There is a spirit of gender bias against us. This we will raise,” the source said.

A second source said they planned to write to the president to resolve this matter before it was blown out of proportion. 

“The ANC is being viewed in a negative light. If we add that the women are not given equal treatment, then there is an internal revolt that will arise. 

“President Ramaphosa must act on this. Comrade Nobuhle Nkabane and Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula were removed without consideration and now we have Comrade Sisisi suffering the same fate.”

“This is getting out of hand. Do not get me wrong; we do not protect corrupt individuals but we are saying, if some get the benefit of the doubt, everyone else should too.” 

A third source said there was a need to rectify the problem before it got worse. 

“When members of the organisation are guilty, they must be dealt with the same way, not because some are women. This administration is trying to wipe out the effort of the women in the party and when we retaliate against them, they will say we are emotional. 

“We are not here for positions but we do not want to be wiped out. Our predecessors fought to be in this movement and to be given equal treatment. 

“If we asked the president to step down over the Phala Phala matter, we would be seen as rebellious. Yet our members are being forced out before the matters are proved. There needs to be equality because when it comes to conferences, we do wield 10% of voting power which we will use even in parliament,” the source said.

In an interview with the M&G, ANC Women’s League secretary-general Nokuthula Nqaba said the league would discuss the matters affecting Tolashe only at a scheduled special meeting.

“Those are processes that arose from the meeting of the ANC, led by the secretary-general,” Nqaba said.

“I do not have the right to pronounce on those decisions until the ANC formally briefs the Women’s League on a decision that directly affects our president.”

Nqaba said she had not heard anything suggesting Tolashe had been instructed to resign.

“From listening to the SG, I have not heard anything that says the president should resign,” she said. 

“What he said was that everyone who was part of the Integrity Commission report, including Nomvula Mokonyane and Thembi Simelane, would be subjected to a disciplinary process. That is what is already in the public domain.”

She confirmed that league officials met this week but said the engagement was procedural and focused only on preparations for Saturday’s meeting.

“The meeting yesterday was simply to agree on the special meeting that will take place this coming Saturday,” she said. 

“That was the purpose of the meeting. Nothing else.”

Asked whether allegations involving Tolashe’s domestic worker complicated the position of a leader expected to champion women’s rights, Nqaba declined to engage before the league had discussed the matter collectively.

“We have not had any meeting to discuss the allegations,” she said. “It is only this coming Saturday that the structure, collectively, will deliberate on allegations directed at our president.”

She said members may hold individual opinions but no party position had been adopted.

“It has to be a collective decision that we communicate on all these issues,” she said. 

“For now, no one has gone out to say anything until we discuss the matter and decide what is best for the organisation.”

Nqaba also dismissed suggestions that women leaders were treated unfairly inside the ANC when compared to Mchunu, who was placed on special leave while facing scrutiny linked to the Madlanga commission.

“It would be unfair for us to conclude that we are treated as stepchildren of the ANC,” she said. “Before we become members of the Women’s League, we are first members of
the ANC.”

On the allegations involving donated vehicles, Nqaba said she was unaware of the claims and would not comment on social media speculation.

Despite the disciplinary process, she said Tolashe remained ANCWL president. “We still have our president. She is subject only to a disciplinary process,” Nqaba said. “We are not on a mission to replace anyone.”

Economic Freedom Fighters MP Veronica Mente condemned the ANC leadership for forcing Tolashe to step down from her parliamentary seat and her position as president of the ANC Women’s League. 

Mente said on X that Tolashe was being made a “sacrificial lamb” because of her gender, noting that several senior male ANC figures, who were facing far more serious allegations than Tolashe, had not been forced to resign.

EFF deputy leader Godrich Gardee supported Mente’s view, saying the punishment was applied because Tolashe was a woman, while powerful men implicated in far worse corruption appeared untouchable. 

He said that included former police minister Bheki Cele who had continued in his position despite being implicated in corruption.

ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu was unavailable for comment at the time of going to print.