STATEMENT: UBIC condemns multiple governance failings revealed in allegations against Minister Tolashe, calls for urgent action and accountability

The Unconditional Basic Income Coalition (UBIC) issued a statement on 1 May 2026 calling for the resignation or removal of South Africa's Minister of Social Development, Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe, following allegations of financial misconduct and governance failures.

• Minister of Social Development Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe is facing multiple allegations of misconduct, including improper hiring and contracting practices, failing to declare two SUVs gifted to the ANCWL and registered to her children, a R3 million departmental trip to New York, and using public funds to pay a private residence worker whose salary was partially diverted to the Minister's daughter.
• UBIC reports that leaked audio suggests Minister Tolashe intends to avoid answering questions regarding these allegations from the Social Development Portfolio Committee, which the coalition describes as an evasion of accountability.
• The coalition argues that the scandals involving Minister Tolashe have distracted from critical policy work, specifically causing multiple delays in finalizing the policy for public input regarding basic income support and the future of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant.
• UBIC calls on President Ramaphosa to remove Minister Tolashe from her portfolio pending a transparent investigation, citing a pattern of failure in the Department of Social Development (DSD) that includes the previous Net1 scandal where contractors defrauded millions of social grant beneficiaries.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (n.d.). STATEMENT: UBIC condemns multiple governance failings revealed in allegations against Minister Tolashe, calls for urgent action and accountability. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/STATEMENT_-UBIC-condemns-multiple-governance-failings-revealed-in-allegations-against-Minister-Tolashe-calls-for-urgent-action-and-accountability.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. STATEMENT: UBIC condemns multiple governance failings revealed in allegations against Minister Tolashe, calls for urgent action and accountability. n.d. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/STATEMENT_-UBIC-condemns-multiple-governance-failings-revealed-in-allegations-against-Minister-Tolashe-calls-for-urgent-action-and-accountability.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=STATEMENT: UBIC condemns multiple governance failings revealed in allegations against Minister Tolashe, calls for urgent action and accountability |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/STATEMENT_-UBIC-condemns-multiple-governance-failings-revealed-in-allegations-against-Minister-Tolashe-calls-for-urgent-action-and-accountability.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{instituteforeconomicjusticendstatement, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{STATEMENT: UBIC condemns multiple governance failings revealed in allegations against Minister Tolashe, calls for urgent action and accountability}}, publisher = {Institute for Economic Justice}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/STATEMENT_-UBIC-condemns-multiple-governance-failings-revealed-in-allegations-against-Minister-Tolashe-calls-for-urgent-action-and-accountability.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }