Parliament’s Social Development Committee has demanded accountability after a Public Service Commission (PSC) investigation found that a state-paid food aide was irregularly appointed to work at former minister Sisisi Tolashe’s private residence, with part of her salary allegedly redirected towards household expenses.
The investigation found that Nomathamsanqa Khuhlane’s appointment did not comply with public service recruitment regulations, and substantiated an allegation that an arrangement existed for part of her salary to be used for expenses at the former minister’s household.
The findings raise questions about the use of public funds for private domestic services, the role of departmental officials in facilitating the appointment and whether those implicated will face consequences.
Presenting the final report to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Social Development, PSC Chief Director for Public Administration Investigation Faith Mashikinya said Khuhlane met the requirements for the food aide position, but the appointment process was irregular.
The post was graded at salary level two, but Khuhlane was appointed at level three. It was also outside the Department of Social Development’s approved establishment and had not been advertised.
The department relied on Public Service Regulation 57(2)(b), which allows appointments to address a temporary increase in workload for a period not exceeding 12 months.
“Thus, this prescript was not applicable in this regard,” Mashikinya told the committee.
The PSC found that Khuhlane performed childcare and private household duties at Tolashe’s residence instead of the functions associated with her food aide position.
“This resulted in departmental resources being used to fund private domestic services,” Mashikinya said.
The commission therefore substantiated the allegation that her appointment was irregular.
How the salary arrangement worked
The PSC heard that Khuhlane was told her monthly salary would be about R15,800, but that only R8,000 would be hers to keep. The remaining R7,800 was intended for groceries for Tolashe’s household.
Mashikinya said former chief of staff Zanele Simmons confirmed that she had drafted a letter communicating the arrangement on Tolashe’s instructions. The letter provided to investigators was unsigned.
Khuhlane also told investigators that Tolashe’s daughter, Khanyisa, instructed her to transfer portions of her salary into an account for household expenses.
The arrangement left Khuhlane with only R1,800 from her December 2024 salary.
''Banking records and Ms Khuhlane's affidavit confirm that she transferred approximently R37,000 into the bank account that is alleged to belong to Ms Khanyisa Tolashe,'' said the PSC.
However, the commission said it could not independently verify that the account belonged to Kanyisa, who was not the subject of the investigation.
The PSC nevertheless found the allegation that a salary arrangement existed to be substantiated.
The commission did not substantiate a separate allegation that Khuhlane had been removed from Tolashe’s official residence before being employed at her private home. It found that she had worked at the private residence following her formal appointment.
The report also identified a discrepancy in the appointment paperwork: approval was granted on November 3, 2024, while Khuhlane’s appointment letter and assumption-of-duty form were dated November 1.
Tolashe denies knowledge of transfers
The allegations had previously been raised in Parliament, where Tolashe denied knowing that money from Khuhlane’s salary had been transferred to her daughter.
Tolashe told MPs that Khuhlane had been appointed under public service regulations to work at her official residence in Cape Town, but was relocated to the Eastern Cape after the minister fell ill, which she linked to an ancestral calling.
She denied involvement in the salary transfers and described them as a private arrangement between the employee and her daughter.
“They had their own arrangement. There were no formal contracts for these payments. Funds were transferred privately,” Tolashe told the committee during her earlier appearance.
The PSC’s final findings subsequently substantiated the existence of a salary arrangement, while noting that it could not verify ownership of the account receiving the transfers.
The investigation comes amid wider scrutiny of Tolashe, who was removed as minister by President Cyril Ramaphosa in May 2026.
The controversies surrounding her included the separate dispute over luxury vehicles reportedly donated to the ANC Women’s League but registered in the names of her children, as well as questions about appointments in her department.
MPs demand action over salary transfers
DA MP Samantha Graham-Mare described the treatment of Khuhlane as “a form of modern slavery”.
She argued that the department could not treat the matter as a private arrangement because Khuhlane was employed by the State and paid from public funds.
Graham-Mare called for the money to be recovered and returned to Khuhlane, and for those responsible to be held accountable. She also questioned how officials who resign before disciplinary proceedings are concluded could be held accountable if they later return to government employment.
DA MP Nazley Sharif said the findings were particularly disturbing given the department’s responsibility to protect vulnerable people, including women.
She questioned whether Khanyisa had participated in the investigation, whether possible criminal offences had been referred to law enforcement agencies and what action could be taken against officials who had since left the public service.
Sharif also asked what would happen if Khuhlane could not afford legal representation to recover the money. She called for the department to report on disciplinary action and measures to prevent similar cases.
MK Party MP Nhlanhla Gcwabaza said the matter went beyond an administrative irregularity and called for it to be referred to the Public Protector.
Patriotic Alliance MP Sheila Mary Peters questioned whether written evidence established that Simmons had acted on Tolashe’s instructions. She said the roles of the former minister and her daughter should be investigated for possible criminal conduct if the evidence supported it.
MPs also raised concerns about officials who had left the public service, warning that resignation should not become a means of avoiding accountability.
PSC recommends further action
The PSC recommended that disciplinary action be pursued against implicated officials who remained in the public service. It also identified officials who had since left government, limiting the department’s ability to pursue ordinary disciplinary proceedings against them.
The commission recommended that new Social Development Minister Dina Pule facilitate advising Khuhlane to consider appropriate legal avenues to claim money or benefits to which she may be entitled.
It further called for effective implementation of the department’s performance management policy and for managers and employees to be held accountable. The PSC said officials had failed to guide the former minister correctly on the applicable public service requirements.
The commission said Tolashe’s own conduct fell outside its direct investigative mandate, which covers public servants. It referred the matter concerning the former minister to the portfolio committee for consideration and further appropriate action.
Mashikinya told MPs that Tolashe had received the provisional report and concurred with the findings in her response. The report recorded that the department had informed affected officials and implemented interventions to strengthen recruitment systems and close loopholes.
The committee has called on the department to account for the appointment and reported transfers, strengthen its internal controls and ensure that allegations of wrongdoing are followed by appropriate action.
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