The minister of social development is a minister in the Cabinet of South Africa who is the political head of the Department of Social Development and its agencies, including the South African Social Security Agency. As of 1 July 2026, the incumbent minister is DIna Pule, following the dismissal of Sisisi Tolashe in May 2026. The deputy minister is Ganief Hendricks.
The ministry was created in June 1999 when Thabo Mbeki took office as President of South Africa in the 1999 general election. Its precursor in the cabinet of Nelson Mandela was the Ministry for Welfare and Population Development, where Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi was incumbent from June 1996 to June 1999.
List of ministers MinisterTermPresidentRef.The Hon. Zola Skweyiya MP17 June 199910 May 2009Mbeki (I)
Mbeki (II)
Motlanthe (I)The Hon. Edna Molewa MP11 May 200931 October 2010Zuma (I)The Hon. Bathabile Dlamini MP1 November 201026 February 2018Zuma (II)The Hon. Susan Shabangu MP27 February 201829 May 2019Ramaphosa (I)The Hon. Lindiwe Zulu MP30 May 201917 June 2024Ramaphosa (II) The Hon. Sisisi Tolashe MP30 June 202414 May 2026Ramaphosa (III)The Hon. Dina Pule MP1 July 2026present
References
External links Department of Social Development