John Steenhuisen should be fired

ActionSA has criticised Ramaphosa’s recent cabinet reshuffle, calling for former Agricultural Minister John Steenhuisen to be dismissed instead of demoted.

In the reshuffle, the former Democratic Alliance (DA) leader was moved to the position of Deputy Minister in the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition.

Steenhuisen had served as the Minister of Agriculture since the inception of the Government of National Unity (GNU) after the 2024 elections.

His ministerial tenure has been marked by controversy, including his poor handling of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in South Africa’s cattle industry.

He also came under fire for controversies surrounding his chief of staff, Jana le Roux, after emails were leaked showing her unprofessional response to concerns from a farming association.

She also allegedly swore at an agricultural CEO during an agriculture event. However, both Steenhuisen and Le Roux deny that this happened.

Following these incidents, DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis requested a number of changes to the president’s cabinet, including the demotion of Steenhuisen to a deputy minister role.

ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip responded to this move, saying that Steenhuisen should have been removed from the cabinet entirely.

“After presiding over the mishandling of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease crisis, he should have been dismissed,” Trollip said.

He described Steenhuisen’s demotion to a Deputy Minister position as cushy and said it does not serve the best interests of South Africans.

He was also against the appointment of Willie Aucamp as Minister of Agriculture, calling the move uninspiring.

He was critical of all Deputy Minister positions, saying that they do not serve a real purpose in the country’s cabinet.

He said the appointment of Steenhuisen to a Deputy Minister role shows that these positions are used for political moves rather than good governance.

“His appointment proves that the office of Deputy Minister exists to cushion the fall of disgraced former ministers rather than serve the public,” he said.

Along with Steenhuisen, he said all Deputy Minister posts should be abolished, despite their claimed value in supporting ministerial leadership and oversight.

He said the positions create a bloated executive when the money spent on Deputy Ministers’ salaries should be used for service delivery.

The issues go beyond Steenhuisen

Trollip said there were issues with the cabinet reshuffle beyond the changes to the DA’s ministerial posts.

He highlighted the appointment of African National Congress (ANC) member Dina Pule as Minister of Social Development as a poor choice.

He said her appointment showed that the ANC is scraping the bottom of the barrel to fill vacancies in the country’s executive branch.

Pule served as the Minister of Communications during Jacob Zuma’s presidency, before being removed from office in 2013 for ethical violations.

These violations included misappropriating funds from the Communications Department and using her position to find jobs and contracts for family members.

“Her return sends a dangerous message – ethical failures are no barrier to high office under President Ramaphosa,” Trollip said.

DA spokesperson for social development, Nazley Sharif, also opposed Dina Pule’s reintroduction into South Africa’s cabinet.

She said the Department of Social Development is a crucial portfolio with a significant budget, making it important that its minister is reputable.

“It demands a Minister of impeccable credentials – not one found to have previously betrayed her oath of office and to have brought Parliament into disrepute,” she said.

She said Pule’s appointment appeared to place the ANC’s interests above the needs of South Africa’s citizens.

Trollip said that, along with Pule’s appointment, there were serious missteps in Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle.

He highlighted the Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane and the Minister of Minerals and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe.

He said these ministers should have been removed during the reshuffle for their alleged involvement in political scandals.