The Honourable
Sisisi Tolashe
MP
President of the African National Congress Women's League
Assumed office
23 July 2023
DeputyLungi Mnganga-Gcabashe
Preceded byBathabile Dlamini
Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
Assumed office
6 March 2023
PresidentCyril Ramaphosa
MinisterNkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Preceded byHlengiwe Mkhize
Member of the National Assembly
Assumed office
22 May 2019
ConstituencyEastern Cape
In office
5 September 2016 – 25 February 2018
Prior offices
2001–2019
Executive Mayor of Enoch Mgijima
In office
26 February 2018 – May 2019
Preceded byLindiwe Gunuza-Nkwentsha
Succeeded bySibusiso Mvana
Secretary-General of the African National Congress Women's League
In office
6 July 2008 – August 2015
PresidentAngie Motshekga
DeputyMpai Mogori
Preceded byBathabile Dlamini
Succeeded byMeokgo Matuba
Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature
In office
29 January 2001 – 2008
Personal details
Born (1959-12-21) 21 December 1959
Queenstown, Cape Province
Union of South Africa
Political partyAfrican National Congress

Nokuzola Gladys Tolashe (born 21 December 1959), also known as Sisisi "Sisi" Tolashe, is a South African politician from the Eastern Cape. She was elected as president of the African National Congress (ANC) Women's League in July 2023. In government, Tolashe has been the Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities since March 2023.

Tolashe was a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature between 2001 and 2008, and she rose to national political prominence as the Secretary-General of the ANC Women's League under President Angie Motshekga. She was Secretary-General from July 2008 until she was ousted in August 2015. She went on to serve as a backbencher in the National Assembly from 2016 to 2018 and then as mayor of the Eastern Cape's Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality from 2018 to 2019. She returned to the National Assembly in the 2019 general election and was appointed to her deputy ministerial position in a March 2023 reshuffle by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Tolashe has been a member of the ANC National Executive Committee since December 2022, and she previously served in the committee between 2007 and 2017.

Early life and activism

Tolashe was born on 21 December 1959[1] in Queenstown in the former Cape Province.[2] She entered politics through youth organisations in the anti-apartheid movement and served in various civic organisations under the United Democratic Front.[2] In the 1980s, she was detained without trial for five years – three years under Section 29 of the Internal Security Act, and two years under the prevailing state of emergency regulations.[2]

Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature: 2001–2008

On 29 January 2001, Tolashe was sworn in to the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, where she filled a casual vacancy in the caucus of her political party, the African National Congress (ANC).[3] She served in the provincial legislature until 2008.[4]

During her tenure, in December 2007, Tolashe attended the mainstream ANC's 52nd National Conference, where she was elected to a five-year term as a member of the ANC National Executive Committee. Her candidacy had been endorsed by the Congress of South African Trade Unions,[5] and she received 1,574 votes from the roughly 4,000 delegates at the conference, making her the 59th-most popular candidate of the 80 ordinary members elected to the committee.[6]

ANCWL Secretary-General: 2008–2015

Her departure from the legislature followed her election as national Secretary-General of the ANC Women's League (ANCWL), a full-time position based out of Luthuli House. She was elected to that office on 6 July 2008 at a league conference in Bloemfontein.[7] She succeeded Bathabile Dlamini who, at the same conference, was beaten by Angie Motshekga in the race for the ANCWL presidency. Mpai Mogori was elected as Tolashe's deputy.[7]

At the ANC's 53rd National Conference in December 2012, Tolashe was re-elected to the ANC National Executive Committee, ranked 56th with 1,715 votes from 4,500 delegates.[8][9] After the conference, the ANCWL was criticised for failing to field women candidates for the top leadership positions.[10] In October 2013, Tolashe said that the mainstream ANC would have a woman president "in time", and that, though the time had not yet arrived, "I think we are almost there now."[11]

Both Motshekga and Tolashe were voted out of the ANCWL leadership at the league's next elective conference, held in August 2015 after a long delay. Meokgo Matuba won the Secretary-General position, beating Tolashe by 348 votes.[12]

Return to government

National Assembly: 2016–2018

On 5 September 2016, Tolashe was sworn in to an ANC seat in the National Assembly, the lower house of the South African Parliament. She replaced Raesibe Nyalungu, who died.[13] She was a member of the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies and an alternate member of the Portfolio Committees on Labour and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.[14] Concurrently, she continued to serve in the ANC National Executive Committee – and apparently remained a supporter of ANC President Jacob Zuma[15] – until the party's 54th National Conference in December 2017, at which she failed to gain re-election.[16]

Tolashe's term in the National Assembly lasted less than two years: she resigned on 25 February 2018,[13] ceding her seat to Daniel Jabu Kabini.[17]

Mayor of Enoch Mgijma: 2018–2019

Tolashe left Parliament to accept election as Executive Mayor of the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, her hometown in the Eastern Cape.[4] She was elected on 26 February, replacing the embattled Lindiwe Gunuza-Nkwentsha as part of an ANC campaign to stabilise mismanaged municipalities.[18][19]

Her tenure in the mayoral office was brief. In the 2019 general election, she was nominated to return to the National Assembly, ranked 11th on the ANC's regional party list for the Eastern Cape constituency.[14][20] After the election, Sibusiso Mvana succeeded her as mayor.[21]

Return to the National Assembly: 2019–present

Upon her return to Parliament, Tolashe was appointed as a member of the Portfolio Committee on Transport and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.[14] In addition, on 24 June 2020, she was elected unopposed to chair the ad hoc parliamentary committee tasked with finding a successor to Kimi Makwetu, the Auditor-General of South Africa.[22] The committee concluded its work in October, unanimously recommending Tsakani Maluleke for the position.[23] In 2021, Tolashe was appointed as a member of another ad hoc committee, the Committee for Section 194 Enquiry into the Public Protector.[24]

In May 2022, Tolashe was elected to the 30-member Provincial Executive Committee of the Eastern Cape branch of the ANC.[25] In December, the ANC's 55th National Conference elected her to return to the National Executive Committee; she was elected narrowly, ranked 77th of 80 members with 973 votes from the 4,400 delegates.[26] At the conference, she reportedly supported Cyril Ramaphosa's bid for re-election as ANC President; she was linked politically to Oscar Mabuyane and his allies in the Eastern Cape, a group sometimes nicknamed the Chris Hani Cabal.[27][25]

Deputy Minister in the Presidency

On 6 March 2023, President Ramaphosa announced a cabinet reshuffle in which Tolashe was appointed as Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. She deputised Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who was also newly appointed to the portfolio.[28][29]

ANC Women's League presidency

In July 2023, the ANCWL held its first elective conference since the 2015 meeting at which Tolashe had been voted out of the leadership. Tolashe was viewed as a frontrunner for election to the league's presidency,[30] running with the support of Ramaphosa and his allies, including Pemmy Majodina and Angie Motshekga.[31][32] Her slate of running mates included Lungi Gcabashe, Nokuthula Nqaba, and, until her death, Tina Joemat-Pettersson.[31] She stood against Bathabile Dlamini, the outgoing ANCWL President, and Thembeka Mchunu ultimately emerged as another pro-Ramaphosa candidate.[27][33]

At the conference held from 21 to 23 July 2023, Tolashe had the most branch nominations for the president position; she had received 1,564 nominations while her competitors Mchunu and Dlamini received 796 and 258 nominations respectively.[34] On the final day of the conference, Tolashe was announced as the league's new president, having received 1,729 votes while Mchunu and Dlamini got 1,038 and 170 votes respectively.[35]

References

  1. ↑ "National Assembly List" (PDF). Electoral Commission of South Africa. 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Deputy Minister". Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  3. ↑ "New MPLs told to be honourable". East Cape News. 29 January 2001. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 "#CabinetReshuffle: Mabuza, Nene to be sworn in as MPs". IOL. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  5. ↑ "Cosatu's wish list". The Mail & Guardian. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  6. ↑ "Shake-up in ANC national executive". The Mail & Guardian. 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  7. 1 2 "Motshekga to lead ANCWL". News24. 6 July 2008. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  8. ↑ "Dlamini-Zuma most popular ANC NEC leader". News24. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  9. ↑ "Full ANC NEC list". News24. 20 December 2012. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  10. ↑ "The ANCWL is an obstacle to gender equality". The Mail & Guardian. 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  11. ↑ "What would it take for the ANCWL to choose a woman president?". The Mail & Guardian. 2013-10-08. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  12. ↑ "Dlamini beats Motshekga in bruising ANC Women's League battle". News24. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  13. 1 2 "National Assembly Members" (PDF). Parliamentary Monitoring Group. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 "Nokuzola Gladys Tolashe". People's Assembly. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  15. ↑ "'Zuma must go or face pain in parliament' — ANC faction warns". Sunday Times. 28 May 2017. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  16. ↑ "Meet the new ANC NEC". News24. 21 December 2017. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  17. ↑ "Minister Nomvula Mokonyane finally becomes an MP". Sowetan. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  18. ↑ "ANC Eastern Cape Welcomes the Election of Enoch Mgijima Executive Mayor". ANC Eastern Cape. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  19. ↑ "Three more EC councils in line for troika shakeups". Daily Dispatch. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  20. ↑ "These are the people who will represent you in Parliament, provincial legislatures". News24. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  21. ↑ Bonani, Andisa (2019-07-15). "Fourth mayor in less than three years in EMLM". The Rep. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  22. ↑ "Parliament gets the ball rolling on finding SA's new auditor-general". Sowetan. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  23. ↑ Hunter, Qaanitah (20 October 2020). "Deputy Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke gets the nod for top job". News24. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  24. ↑ "Parties deploy heavyweights for Busisiwe Mkhwebane probe". Sunday Times. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  25. 1 2 "Three ANC Eastern Cape politicians allegedly linked to Nelson Mandela funeral fraud miss out on PEC election". Pretoria News. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  26. ↑ "Full list: ANC NEC members". eNCA. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  27. 1 2 "ANCWL: Last minute horse-trading could see Mchunu and Dlamini camp merger". The Mail & Guardian. 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  28. ↑ "Ramaphosa bolsters his presidency in cabinet reshuffle". The Mail & Guardian. 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  29. ↑ "Ramaphosa's changes to the cabinet". The Mail & Guardian. 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  30. ↑ Masuabi, Queenin (2023-05-10). "Bathabile Dlamini and Sisisi Tolashe set to vie for top post in ANCWL elections next month". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  31. 1 2 "Can Bathabile Dlamini mount a comeback as ANCWL boss against fierce opponent Tolashe?". Sunday Times. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  32. ↑ "Sisisi Tolashe versus Bathabile Dlamini for ANC Women's League president". The Mail & Guardian. 2023-05-03. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  33. ↑ "Bury the demon of factionalism, ANCWL's Baleka Mbete tells conference delegates". The Mail & Guardian. 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  34. ↑ Mahlati, Zintle. "Former ANCWL leader Bathabile Dlamini the least-nominated candidate for presidency by branches". News24. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  35. ↑ Madia, Tshidi. "Sisisi Tolashe elected new ANCWL president". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
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