Social Development making progress despite hurdles: Tolashe

Embattled Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe believes her department is making progress despite the difficulties still encountered.

Presenting an overview to Parliament’s portfolio committee on the annual performance plan of her department on Wednesday, Tolashe steered clear of responding to the recent personal and political drama that she’s been embroiled in.

Committee chairperson Bridget Masango shut down attempts from her own party to quiz the minister, saying Tolashe would be requested to return next week to respond only to matters that impact the department directly.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) and ActionSA have laid criminal complaints against Tolashe for failing to declare to Parliament vehicle donations intended for the African National Congress (ANC) Women’s League and for allegedly claiming she was protecting them from being repossessed by creditors amid her party’s financial woes.

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With members of Parliament (MPs) still demanding answers related to certain appointments in the department, including that of the former director-general Peter Netshipale, Tolashe said she would return to the committee in due course with the relevant investigative reports.

But she asked them to consider the strides her department has made over the last year, considering it has lacked a permanently-appointed executive for several years.

“We might have been an old department; however, we are going through phases of difficulty. We are able to turn the corner by having a structure that we haven’t had for more than eight years.”

Amid claims that she may have used public finances to employ a nanny to care for her grandchildren and that she usurped presidential powers by initiating a recruitment process for a new director-general, Masango appealed for patience from MPs to give Tolashe time to respond.

“I think we need to trust the system until it obviously disappoints us.”

Tolashe declined to respond to any questions from the media on the sidelines of yesterday’s meeting.