Leader of South Africa's second biggest party wants his predecessor sacked as minister

Leader of South Africa's second biggest party wants his predecessor sacked as minister

45 minutes ago

Khanyisile Ngcobo Johannesburg

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John Steenhuisen (left) used to be a close ally of Geordin Hill-Lewis (right)

The leader of the second biggest party in South Africa's governing coalition has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to sack his predecessor, one of the country's best-known politicians.

Geordin Hill-Lewis wants the long-time leader of the Democratic Alliance's (DA), John Steenhuisen, replaced as agriculture minister as he proposed sweeping changes to the party's representation within the government.

Hill-Lewis took over the reins from Steenhuisen in April.

The DA has six posts in Ramaphosa's cabinet, while several members serve as deputy ministers, after no party secured a parliamentary majority in the 2024 general elections.

Ramaphosa is yet to comment on the request but he is unlikely to reject it.

He has faced intense criticism from farmers over his failure to do more to contain the outbreak.

In a statement, Hill-Lewis said he wanted Willie Aucamp to become agriculture minister with an "immediate mandate... to resolve on-going legal proceedings relating" to the outbreak.

Steenhuisen also faced a financial scandal, which contributed to his decision not to stand for re-election as party leader.

He has been nominated as deputy minister for trade and industry - a significant demotion.

Hill-Lewis's announcement may not come as a huge surprise given his comments after he became DA leader, when he said he would "review the performance" of DA appointees and "if after that I think it needs changing then we'll do that".

"No-one is entitled to any office or position," he said at the time.

The surprise is how quickly the review and changes have occurred.

Steenhuisen, 50, has been a key figure in the DA since 2014 when he was appointed the party's parliamentary leader. His rise to the top continued in 2019 when he replaced Mmusi Maimane, the party's first black leader.

He was re-elected to the position in 2023 and was widely expected to run unopposed for a third term, until political pressure forced him to abandon his campaign.

Steenhuisen was at the helm when the pro-business DA, a fierce critic of Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) on many issues, entered into a coalition with its long-time rival.

He backed Ramaphosa when the president was ambushed by US President Donald Trump during a showdown in the White House last year.

After Trump confronted the delegation with a video in support of discredited claims of a white genocide in South Africa, it was Steenhuisen who assured the US president that most white farmers wanted to stay in the country.

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It was Steenhuisen's handling of the foot-and-mouth outbreak that led to his demise, analysts say

Political analyst Khanyi Magubane was not surprised by Steenhuisen's demotion, pointing to a prediction she had made earlier that the DA would "betray" him once his term ended as party leader.

"There's no way they'll allow him to enjoy the full ministerial position without... the leadership position," she told the BBC on Wednesday.

Magubane cited two reasons for Steenhuisen's demotion. The biggest was his handling of foot and mouth, which pit him against the farming community.

The analyst reflected that the DA would want to "come across as [hearing the] cries" of farmers, especially with local elections coming up later this year. Steenhuisen's proposed replacement, Aucamp, is a farmer.

Another reason is the strained relations between Steenhuisen and the DA due to what some in the party viewed as his close relationship with the ANC.

"He wasn't exactly the golden boy he used to be," she said.

Other proposed changes Hill-Lewis announced are:

David Maynier as environment minister, replacing Aucamp

Alexandra Abrahams, who served in Steenhuisen's new post, as deputy electricity and energy minister

Yusuf Cassim as the deputy minister of higher education and training post

Jack Bloom as the deputy minister of water and sanitation.

Additional reporting by Nobuhle Simelane

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