The ANC has instructed Sisi Tolashe to step down as Member of Parliament and as the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) president.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
ANC has moved against ANC Women’s League president Sisisi Tolashe, instructing her to resign as both an MP and ANCWL president after the party’s integrity commission found her guilty of misconduct in public office.
This was confirmed by senior party insiders to IOL, who said this was discussed over the national executive committee (NEC) meeting over the weekend.
Behind closed doors, however, the sources described an atmosphere of fury, frustration, and political exhaustion.
“The organisation reached a point where it could no longer defend the indefensible,” said a senior ANC source familiar with the NEC discussions.
“Leaders agreed that failing to act against Tolashe would destroy whatever credibility the ANC still has on issues of ethics and accountability.”
Another senior party figure said the decision was meant to send a message across ANC structures.
“This is the strongest signal yet that the era of protection and excuses is being challenged,” the source said. “The ANC understands the public is watching closely.”
The ANCWL is now expected to hold urgent discussions over Tolashe’s exit as fears mount over instability and factional battles inside the league.
Another source who backed the decision said the party had no choice.
“Painful as it is, accountability must apply to everyone… The movement cannot survive if leaders believe positions are shields against consequences,” the source said.
The move comes just weeks after President Cyril Ramaphosa fired her as Minister of Social Development amid explosive allegations that two luxury utility vehicles donated to the ANCWL by Chinese officials were allegedly registered in the names of her adult children.
Despite mounting pressure, Tolashe had resisted calls to resign, insisting she would only step aside if Ramaphosa personally instructed her to do so.
The president eventually dismissed her from the Cabinet but now the ANC is moving to remove her from every remaining position she holds within the state and the party.
The matter reached a boiling point during a tense weekend meeting of the ANC’s NEC, where members endorsed the integrity commission’s findings and escalated the case to the party’s disciplinary committee.
On Tuesday, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula confirmed that Tolashe and former police minister Bheki Cele were among five ANC members referred for allegedly bringing the organisation into disrepute.
“The constitutional disciplinary process will run its ordinary course,” Mbalula said.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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