More Executive Members Implicated in DSD Fallout

Two new reports tabled before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Social Development have deepened scrutiny of the Department of Social Development (DSD) and widened questions about senior officials beyond former minister Sisisi Tolashe. The findings now also implicate Minister of Public Service and Administration Mzamo Buthelezi and Deputy Minister of Social Development Ganief Hendricks, while exposing major weaknesses in the department’s governance and human resources systems.

The committee received the final report of the Public Service Commission (PSC) into the irregular appointment of 22-year-old Lesedi Mabiletja as chief of staff in Tolashe’s office, along with a forensic report by Mketsu & Associates into the controversial contract of former director-general Peter Netshipale. Both investigations were triggered after Daily Maverick reported on the governance crisis at the department.

Tolashe was removed from office by President Cyril Ramaphosa in May. The department is now under Acting Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, who also serves as minister of women. Chikunga told MPs that she had accepted the reports and would engage the Department of Public Service and Administration on the findings.

The Mketsu report strongly rejected Tolashe’s earlier explanation that Netshipale’s five-year contract, despite Cabinet approving only a one-year term, was a “clerical error.” The report said the evidence completely refuted that defence and suggested possible collusion between officials in the DSD and the DPSA. It pointed to correspondence from a DPSA official, Nomsa Khosa, who set out a legal basis to justify the longer contract, despite the executive approval limiting the post to one year because Netshipale would reach retirement age in 2026.

The report also cast doubt on Buthelezi’s claim that he did not know how his electronic signature was used to sign off on the contract. Investigators said his explanation was legally and factually unsustainable, noting that he was present at the Cabinet meeting where the one-year term was approved. The report recommended a separate inquiry into the DPSA.

The PSC report was equally severe. It found that Mabiletja’s appointment violated constitutional values and principles, and substantiated allegations that she had been irregularly appointed as private and appointment secretary, and later chief of staff. It also found she had misrepresented her qualifications and work history. The report said there was evidence Deputy Minister Hendricks was aware before approval that she did not meet the requirements for the post.

The PSC directed disciplinary action against HR official Samuel Boshielo, who it said had wrongly motivated for Mabiletja’s appointment despite her lacking the necessary experience and qualifications. It also made adverse findings against the department’s HR head, Deven Chinappan. Officials told MPs that electronic signatures could not be forged without access credentials, adding further tension to the debate over how the Netshipale contract was approved.

Although the reports cannot directly sanction Tolashe, both concluded that she failed to exercise proper executive oversight. Committee chair Bridget Masango said the revelations were alarming, and warned that she was even more concerned about what had not yet been uncovered.