Minister Tolashe Did Not Lead R3 Million CSW69 Delegation to New York

Minister Tolashe

Minister Tolashe did not lead R3 million CSW69 delegation to New York, as the Movement for Social Change RSA clarifies amid media reports accusing her of heading a bloated trip, when official records show Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga led the national team while Tolashe’s department supported with R3m in expenditure. Recent reports have accused Minister Sisisi Tolashe of leading a bloated delegation on a R3-million junket to New York. Recent commentary has cast Minister of Social Development, Sisisi Tolashe, in a negative light, with headlines claiming she led a bloated multimillion-rand “junket” to New York. While such framing may capture attention, it risks oversimplifying government processes and unfairly placing individual blame where institutional procedures are at play.

CSW69: A Key Global Forum for Gender Equality

The 69th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), held from 10 to 21 March 2025 at the UN Headquarters in New York, focused on advancing gender equality under the theme “Accelerating gender equality and empowerment of women and girls through sustainable development.” This annual gathering brings together representatives from over 45 UN member states, NGOs, and experts to review progress on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted in 1995, and address challenges like poverty, climate change, and violence against women.   

South Africa’s participation aligns with its constitutional commitments to gender equity and international obligations, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event is crucial for sharing national progress on women’s empowerment, such as the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, and forging partnerships for social development. With over 8,000 delegates attending, CSW sessions are high-profile, drawing global attention and requiring coordinated government efforts.

Clarifying the Delegation Leadership and Expenditure

According to official government communication, the national South African delegation to CSW69 was led by Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. Minister Tolashe was part of the broader South African presence, but she did not lead the delegation.      Chikunga, who delivered South Africa’s country statement on 11 March 2025, emphasised the nation’s Beijing+30 report, highlighting strides in women’s economic participation and youth empowerment. 

The Department of Social Development (DSD), in line with its mandate on social and gender policy, deployed officials to support the national delegation. The DSD has publicly confirmed that the total departmental expenditure amounted to approximately R3 million. This amount reflects the cost of officials supporting the delegation, not personal spending by Minister Tolashe.  Minister Tolashe has also committed to submitting a full expenditure report to Parliament, reinforcing the department’s commitment to transparency and accountability. 

Breakdown of the R3 million includes airfare, accommodation, and per diems for DSD officials, who contributed to sessions on social protection and gender-responsive budgeting. For context, the full national delegation cost, covering multiple departments, was estimated at R15-20 million, but DSD’s share was limited to its supporting role. This expenditure enabled inputs on South Africa’s social grants system, which supports over 18 million vulnerable people, including women and children.

Media Misreporting: Accusations of a ‘Bloated Junket’

Some media outlets, including TimesLIVE, Daily Maverick, and News24, have implied or outright stated that Minister Tolashe personally led the trip and was responsible for its full cost. This assertion does not align with the facts. The ongoing blurring of lines between departmental expenditure and personal action undermines public understanding of how government participation in international platforms actually works. 

Reports from March-April 2025, such as News24’s coverage of the delegation costs, highlighted the R3 million DSD figure but often framed it as Tolashe’s “luxury trip,” ignoring the leadership by Chikunga and the event’s scale.    A TimesLIVE article titled “All aboard the gravy train to New York” (31 August 2025) accused Tolashe of overseeing “five-star” stays, but DSD clarified that accommodations were standard UN conference hotels, with costs inflated by New York’s peak-season rates.  Spokesperson Lumka Oliphant was suspended in September 2025 amid leak allegations, but she denied leaking details and slammed the accusations as a smear.   

Social media amplified the narrative, with posts like one from Vusi Sambo on X (7 September 2025) claiming Tolashe and her “thugs” blew R3 million, tying it to broader criticisms of government waste.  However, these overlook that CSW69 required multidisciplinary input, with DSD focusing on social welfare’s role in gender equality.

Staffing in Minister Tolashe’s Office: Addressing the Controversy

Questions have also been raised about staffing within the Minister’s office. It is important to note that the current Acting Chief of Staff is not receiving a salary for that role, but continues to earn her existing salary as Private Secretary. She was temporarily appointed due to the absence of a permanent candidate. The Minister is within her rights to headhunt a suitable candidate for this strategic role on a contractual basis.

This interim arrangement, reported in Daily Maverick (April 2025), ensures continuity amid recruitment challenges, with no additional taxpayer burden.  Tolashe, appointed in July 2024 under the GNU, has prioritised filling key roles to advance social development mandates, including expanding child support grants.

Economic Context: Skyrocketing Costs in New York During CSW

Media analysis has also neglected crucial contextual factors influencing the cost of international trips during CSW sessions: CSW69 is a major global event, with 45 United Nations Member States participating. As a result, hotel prices in New York skyrocket during this period, as accommodation providers seek to maximize revenue from the influx of international delegates. 

The timing of this trip coincided with Donald Trump’s recent election as President of the United States, an event that disrupted financial markets and accelerated inflation, further pushing up local prices for goods and services, including accommodation and transport.    Trump’s tariffs, implemented in early 2025, raised operational costs for hotels by 5-10%, with NYC average daily rates (ADR) surging to $450 during March, up 15% from 2024.    Reports from Hotel Dive and CoStar noted that tariffs on imports like linens and food drove up expenses, while Trump’s policies deterred some international travel, paradoxically inflating demand and prices in high-profile events like CSW.    Flights and per diems also rose due to global inflation, with rand volatility adding 10-15% to costs.

These external pressures explain the R3 million figure, which covered 10-15 DSD officials’ essentials, not extravagance. Comparable trips, like the 2024 CSW68, cost similar amounts per department.

Call for Responsible Reporting: Transparency Over Sensationalism

South Africa’s participation in global forums on gender, youth, and social development is part of our constitutional and international obligations, not a luxury. While public scrutiny of expenditure is welcome and necessary, it must be grounded in fact-based reporting. Minister Tolashe should not be accused of personally leading a R3-million junket, when in truth: The delegation was led by another Minister, The expenditure was departmental, not personal, and Costs were impacted by global economic factors, not individual choices.