Roman Cabanac ‘refuses’ to resign as Steenhuisen’s chief of staff

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen is facing a major headache after the controversial appointment of Roman Cabanac, an alt-right podcaster, as his chief of staff. Despite being asked to resign nearly two weeks ago, Cabanac has refused to step down without a big payout and continues to operate from his office from time to time, sources within the department confirmed to Daily Maverick.

This standoff has left Steenhuisen grappling with an increasingly public scandal and internal tensions over the unresolved issue.

“Cabanac is refusing to resign, and he knows how slow the government moves in dealing with such cases. So, he could be here for at least six months or longer,” said the source within the department. 

While the matter drags on, Cabanac remains entitled to his salary and the benefits that come with the position. On his X bio, Cabanac still has his title as “chief of staff – Minister of Agriculture”, showing that he is still on the job. 

Steenhuisen’s appointment of the controversial podcaster in August sparked consternation within the DA and concerns among longstanding DA supporters. A chief of staff is in the third-highest salary band in the government, with an annual remuneration of almost R1.4-million in taxpayers’ money.

Despite an attempt by Cabanac to distance himself from his past by acknowledging the harmful nature of his previous statements, his lack of a direct apology only fuelled the growing backlash.

Read more: By rewarding Roman Cabanac’s bigotry, Steenhuisen risks the future of the GNU

Highly placed sources reveal that Steenhuisen and the human resources department are exploring options to dismiss Cabanac by leveraging his reportedly incomplete law degree and failure to disclose that he was previously dismissed from a law firm. It remains unclear whether Cabanac has completed his legal articles, further complicating his position within the department.

Mounting internal pressure and the negative public attention directed at his office forced Steenhuisen to ask Cabanac to resign.

Daily Maverick previously reported that during a question-and-answer session, after he gave a speech at the Cape Town Press Club, Steenhuisen announced that he had asked Cabanac to resign. He said he informed the DA’s Federal Executive about his decision at a meeting on Wednesday. 

“I have had a conversation with Mr Cabanac over the course of the past few days, and I’m happy to admit we don’t always get it right. We never will. People make mistakes; people don’t always get it right. And I think you should be judged on what you do when that mistake has been made – it’s been pointed out to you – and what you do thereafter,” he said.

“There has been a conversation with Mr Cabanac. There is a human resources discussion that’s under way.

“I found it far too distracting from the work of my ministry and our government that he is the news story, rather than the work of the department, and I have asked him, therefore, whether he would consider stepping aside,” the minister said to applause. 

Read more: Reflective Steenhuisen asks Roman Cabanac to quit after internal DA backlash and public outrage

Steenhuisen added that he took “full responsibility” for Cabanac’s controversial appointment. 

“In hindsight, there should’ve been a little bit more due diligence done. In hindsight, there should have been greater foresight. But in an environment of a meteor shower coming in after an election, going straight into an intense negotiation, and having an imperative to start performing and doing your duties, I think one could be forgiven slightly for some of the mistakes that do get made along the way,” he said. 

The choice of chief of staff is at the discretion of the relevant minister. The post generally requires “extensive management experience, an understanding of ministerial services and parliamentary functions to take charge of the overall management of the ministry, [and] knowledge of the Public Service Management Framework and Public Finance Management Act”, according to a Mail & Guardian article exploring the controversial appointment of Jacob Zuma’s daughter to a chief of staff role while her father was president. 

Charity McCord, media manager to the DA federal leader, said she was not aware of Cabanac refusing to resign and did not comment on whether he requested a payout before he stepped down from the cushy position. “The HR process is under way and will be finalised in due course. Let’s allow the process to be finalised.” 

Cabanac could not be reached for a comment and he previously said he would not talk to journalists. 

DA members vindicated

Insiders close to Steenhuisen have raised concerns about the appointment of the relatively unknown Cabanac, who is not widely recognised within DA circles. Notably, they said Steenhuisen had not appeared on Cabanac’s YouTube channel or podcast for an interview and an invitation only came just before the elections, prompting questions within the party. Some DA members have speculated about whether Steenhuisen knew Cabanac well or if external influences played a role in securing his appointment.

“The DA spends a lot of money developing young people for these positions through the DA’s leadership programme, and most of these ministers didn’t take any graduates from the programme,” one said. 

Labour lawyer Kgomotso Mufamadi said it may be difficult to remove Cabanac if he refused to resign, which could compel the ministry to offer him a golden handshake – a payment made in the context of a mutual separation agreement. 

“The employee has that right [to not agree to a mutual separation agreement],” said Mufamadi.

“The employer would then have to find a way to take him through a lawful process. [The employer] might be able to demonstrate that… for example, the employee did not disclose or explain what he was doing before, and the minister [could say], ‘Actually, now I find this person to be incompatible with the values of the organisation’.” DM