Social development minister’s romantic ties to special adviser raise red flags

Over the past two years, Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe has ensured that Ngwako Kgatla remained close by her side, first employing him in her previous gig as deputy minister of women, youth and persons with disabilities, and then selecting him as her special adviser at the Department of Social Development.

Insiders say his influence over Tolashe and the department’s decisions is concerning, and there is evidence to suggest Kgatla may be being shielded from disciplinary charges.

Now, pictures leaked to Daily Maverick that allegedly show messages exchanged between Tolashe and Kgatla may cast new light on the nature of their relationship — suggesting it may be more personal than professional, and potentially explaining the preferential treatment that department staffers allege he has received.

Department of Social Development spokesperson Sandy Godlwana told Daily Maverick: “The minister will not dignify these defamatory and baseless allegations, which are meant to cause irreparable damage to her reputation, with a reply.”

‘Minister Tolashe’s personal life is a private matter’

The images in Daily Maverick’s possession are photographs taken of a phone screen showing an undated WhatsApp exchange between the owner of the phone, allegedly Tolashe, and a contact saved as “kgatlangwako”. The profile picture seems to match the appearance of Ngwako Kgatla.

One WhatsApp, allegedly from Tolashe, begins: “Good night love of my heart”, and adds: “Tolashe loves you big time”.

Another message sent the next morning reads: “I just miss you my baby Enjoy your day Ngwako ka Sisisi [Sisisi’s Ngwako]”.

In response, the contact who appears to be Kgatla writes: “Good morning my love”.

Another exchange appears to show the sender teaching the contact isiXhosa: “Khumbula means I miss you. Sana lika Tolashe means My baby [Tolashe’s baby]. Isithandwa sakho means My love”.

“I miss you hle [so much]”, the contact who appears to be Kgatla responds. “Are you still having meetings?”

“Yes ma love,” is the response.

“Okay no problem, do what you have to do love,” he replies.

Daily Maverick has been unable to independently verify the messages as no phone numbers are visible, but impeccable sources have vouched for their veracity.

In other pictures of messages in Daily Maverick’s possession, the sender who appears to be Tolashe refers to ANC events and Department of Social Development officials. Other messages are more explicit, in terms of physical intimacy, than the ones we print here.

Sources told Daily Maverick that the relationship between Tolashe and Kgatla was an open secret within the Department of Social Development.

In response, Godlwana said: “Minister Tolashe’s personal life is a private matter, and we request members of the media to respect that.”

Kgatla, meanwhile, told Daily Maverick: “Minister Tolashe is not only my boss but a mother to me and to many.”

He said that the chats were fake and part of an attempt by “State Capture beneficiaries” to “decampaign” the work he and Tolashe are doing at the Department of Social Development.

While the idea of a romantic liaison between a 65-year-old minister and her 32-year-old special adviser may seem far-fetched, evidence shows that Tolashe has gone to some lengths to keep Kgatla working close to her over the past two years — and seemingly also to shield him from disciplinary action.

Where Tolashe goes, Kgatla follows

Documents in Daily Maverick’s possession show that Kgatla was initially appointed as parliamentary and Cabinet coordinator for a term “linked to the office of the deputy minister” in the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) in October 2023.

The deputy minister at the time was Tolashe.

Kgatla’s job offer stipulated that “in terms of section 30(1) of the Public Service Act, 1994, you are required to obtain prior approval should you wish to perform any remunerative work outside the public service”.

Just one problem: Kgatla already had a job, for another government entity, and appears to have shown no desire to give it up in a hurry.

As of March 2024, payslips show that Kgatla was still also working as a “business development manager” for the Northwest Transport Investment (SOC) Ltd, with an additional monthly salary of R47,103. It was a job he had held since November 2022.

For at least five months, then, Kgatla appears to have been accepting two government salaries simultaneously — even though the conditions of employment of both jobs prohibited this.

An email trail shows that DWYPD officials became aware of Kgatla’s alleged double-dipping in January 2024 and received evidence in the form of pay slips from Northwest Transport Investment (NTI).

Kgatla told Daily Maverick this week that the money he received from NTI was “due to me, they owed me a salary of six months”. He said the money was in the form of retrospective payments to him, made after he left the entity, which stemmed from when NTI was in business rescue in 2024 and no salaries were paid.

Seemingly contradicting this, however, is an email sent by an NTI official to the DWYPD when they were investigating Kgatla, dated 19 February 2024, which reads: “The payslips and contracts do confirm that Mr Ngwako Kgatla is indeed in the current employ of NTI.”

No action appears to have been taken against Kgatla by the time the Government of National Unity was formed and Tolashe received a promotion.

On 30 June 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Tolashe as the minister of social development.

A month later, on 31 July, Tolashe wrote to the minister of public service and administration to request Kgatla’s appointment as a “full-time Special Advisor to the Minister of Social Development”.

She wrote: “As a Special Advisor, Mr Kgatla will advise me on complex political and policy matters.”

Kgatla’s CV was attached, revealing that he holds an MA in Media Studies from the University of Limpopo, which he completed in 2022.

“Mr Kgatla has skills, knowledge and experience in the field of media and marketing, understands social development issues, and will be able to adequately provide support to the Minister of Social Development,” Tolashe wrote, requesting his appointment at an annual salary of R1,436,022.

Kgatla was duly appointed from 16 August 2024.

But DWYPD officials sent the disciplinary case on to Kgatla’s new department. An 81-page dossier obtained by Daily Maverick meticulously lays out the evidence of Kgatla’s wrongdoing, including salary slips received simultaneously from his two jobs.

The papers show that a disciplinary hearing for Kgatla was scheduled for 14 December 2024, yet it seemingly did not go ahead.

Daily Maverick asked the DSD this week why the scheduled disciplinary hearing did not materialise.

“The matter of disciplinary action against Mr Ngwako Kgatla, who is currently serving as special adviser to the minister, is ongoing. The handling of disciplinary matters is the prerogative of the accounting officer and not the minister,” said Godlwana.

“Since this is an ongoing investigation and out of respect for all parties involved, the department does not intend to conduct a running commentary in the media until all parties involved have had the opportunity to present their cases and the matter is duly finalised.”

Kgatla sent Daily Maverick a “Memorandum of Opinion” signed by DSD Director-General Peter Netshipale and dated 29 September 2025 — after City Press and Daily Maverick reporting that referenced Kgatla’s alleged double-dipping — in which Netshipale wrote that it was not the job of the DSD to discipline Kgatla.

This was because Kgatla was employed at the minister’s prerogative and was therefore “not an employee of the Department of Social Development”, wrote Netshipale, and also because the DSD “has no legal authority over Mr Kgatla regarding misconduct committed when he was an employee of another department”.

City Press reported last month, meanwhile, that Tolashe was attempting to “purge” department officials who were trying to proceed with disciplinary action against Kgatla, whom the newspaper described as Tolashe’s “close associate”.

In the interim, insiders say that Kgatla’s power over the department has grown.

“He makes announcements to staff that should be made by the DG [director-general],” a DSD staffer told Daily Maverick on condition of anonymity.

“Everyone wants to be in his good books.”

Daily Maverick recently reported on the appointment — rescinded after our reporting — of Kgatla’s 22-year-old niece Lesedi Mabiletja as Tolashe’s chief of staff, despite the fact that the department was warned by HR months beforehand that Mabiletja did not even meet the minimum requirements to be Tolashe’s secretary, let alone chief of staff.

‘Political proximity trumps ethical conduct’

Tebogo Khaas, the chairperson of Public Interest SA, told Daily Maverick that the possibility that a romantic relationship was resulting in preferential treatment for a minister’s adviser was concerning.

“While personal relationships are not inherently problematic, when such a relationship exists between a minister and a senior official — especially one directly accountable to the minister — it raises unavoidable concerns around conflicts of interest, abuse of power and compromised professional judgment,” said Khaas.

He also voiced concern about the potential wider impact on the department.

“When staff perceive that decisions are being driven by personal considerations rather than merit or institutional needs, it undermines credibility, creates resentment and erodes professionalism,” he said.

“Importantly, shielding an individual from legitimate disciplinary processes undermines the rule of law and signals that political proximity trumps ethical conduct.” DM