DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis gives details about booting John Steenhuisen

DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said that it was unbelievably tough to remove John Steenhuisen as Minister of Agriculture.

He shared his views about this decision during an interview with Qaanitah Hunter on The Debrief Network.

President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed John Steenhuisen as South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture on 3 July 2024.

However, his tenure was marred by controversy, which included his poor handling of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak.

He alienated the farming community, which is a core part of the Democratic Alliance’s voter base. Many experts called for him to be removed.

Hill-Lewis asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove Steenhuisen as Minister of Agriculture and move him to Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition.

This decision came two months after Hill-Lewis replaced Steenhuisen as the Democratic Alliance’s federal leader.

Steenhuisen was not happy. He said that Hill-Lewis broke his promise that if he stepped down as leader, he would remain Agriculture Minister.

Professor André Duvenhage, a research director at North West University, said that Steenhuisen’s public comments are an attempt to hurt the DA.

He argued that Steenhuisen had been hurt politically and financially by his demotion from Minister to Deputy Minister.

This demotion triggered Steenhuisen’s fierce defensive reaction. “Clearly, he has been hurt, and he feels the need to justify himself,” he said.

He described Steenhuisen’s public allegations against Hill-Lewis as a reactive coping mechanism in response to political hurt.

However, the demotion was self-inflicted. “He made a mistake by trying to claim the best cabinet portfolio for himself as the leader,” Duvenhage said.

“Steenhuisen should have stepped back, assigned it to someone else, and focused on building his party.”

Geordin Hill-Lewis said it was tough to act against John Steenhuisen

Hill-Lewis told The Debrief Network that it was “unbelievably tough” to act against Steenhuisen, as he was a close personal friend.

However, he said that it was necessary to act in the interest of the Democratic Alliance and South Africa.

“There is a big responsibility that comes with this leadership position, and it is much more important than my personal friendships and relationships,” he said.

He explained that he did not make the decision quickly. “My personality, particularly when things are difficult and hard like that, is to take time to think about it,” he said.

“I have enormous respect for people who can instantaneously say, ‘This is my decision.’ My personality is somewhat different.”

Although Hill-Lewis’s decision-making process is slow, once he thinks it through, he arrives at a firm position and remains very decisive.

“There was a series of incidents, decisions, and setbacks associated with John Steenhuisen that led me to conclude this had to happen,” he said.

“I thought about it for a long time, and it was immensely difficult given the personalities involved.”