DA infighting escalates as Aucamp reports George to Public Protector for ‘possible abuse of state resources’

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Willie Aucamp has confirmed that he filed a complaint with the Public Protector against his predecessor Dion George, for his “possible abuse of state resources” while in office.

This is after a City Press report on Sunday, 28 December first revealed that Aucamp had asked the Public Protector to investigate George over accusations of the abuse of state resources and a fabricated whistleblower report in the period before his removal from office.

Aucamp’s complaint, filed on Friday, 26 December, also asked that the Public Protector investigate George’s then adviser and acting chief of staff, Shelton Mollentze, and his then personal assistant, Traverse le Goff, reported the publication.

Aucamp’s complaint is the latest incident in a battle between camps within the DA, which looks set to destabilise the DA’s leadership ahead of its elective congress in 2026.

Read more: Pressure mounts for DA leader to justify firing of Environment Minister Dion George

In a statement published on Sunday, 28 December, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) said Aucamp’s complaint to the Public Protector followed his appointment to office in November, after which he was made aware of a “baseless” investigation into his private business affairs.

The department said the investigation appeared to have been “potentially politically motivated and aimed at falsely linking” Aucamp to the lion breeding industry – an industry with which he has denied association.

“I will not shy away from my duty as Minister and will act against anyone in my department who has been alleged, on a prima facie basis, to have misused state resources, irrespective of what position such individuals hold or have held in the past. I have therefore, in my capacity as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, fulfilled my duty and submitted a comprehensive report to the Public Protector detailing all the information and evidence available to me,” said Aucamp in the statement.

“The use of state resources for personal or political purposes is unlawful, and an investigation by the Public Protector will determine whether any such abuse occurred.”

Read more: Why Dion George’s failure is Willem Aucamp’s opportunity for wildlife management justice

The office of the Public Protector confirmed to Daily Maverick on Monday that it had received Aucamp’s complaint.

“The matter is being assessed in accordance with PPSA [Public Protector South Africa] investigation procedures,” said its acting spokesperson, Ndili Msoki.

DA internal spat

George was removed from office in November, after a request from DA leader John Steenhuisen amid reports of allegations and complaints of underperformance against George.

Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis reported that the fallout of George’s removal has seen the Steenhuisen and George camps in the DA at loggerheads, with accusations flying back and forth in the media.

George, who has held senior positions in the DA since 2005 and is currently its federal finance chair, has since been accused of “bullying” and “psychologically intimidating” staff, undertaking too frequent international trips, practising “apartheid” in his office, speaking ill of his colleagues and sexual misconduct.

He has denied the allegations and subsequently filed a defamation suit against News24.

Meanwhile, the DA’s federal executive has decided to refer the matter to the party’s federal legal commission to institute an investigation into the conflict between party members.

‘Fabricated whistleblower report’

According to the City Press report, Aucamp believed George wanted to discredit him and scupper his appointment as Minister with a fabricated investigation before it was ratified by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The publication reported that a few weeks before Aucamp was appointed as a Minister, Mollentze asked staff to probe his alleged “illegal lion farming” involvement. However, Aucamp claimed the department could find no “evidence” against him of his involvement in lion facilities, while the whistleblower report that triggered the investigation – allegedly fabricated by George – mysteriously disappeared, reported City Press.

Read more: Steenhuisen’s lion bone gambit — firing the one minister who finally took on the wildlife trade

Daily Maverick’s Don Pinnock has previously reported that Aucamp is closely associated with the wildlife breeding and hunting community.

Environmentalists and groups like the NSPCA have expressed growing unhappiness over Aucamp’s appointment as Environment Minister because of his reported links to the captive wildlife industry, with the animal welfare authority requesting proof that he is not compromised by undisclosed interests in the industry.

Daily Maverick requested a copy of Aucamp’s complaint to the Public Protector from the DFFE, which was not provided.

In the statement by the department, Aucamp said that no additional details regarding the complaint would be shared at this stage.

George declined to comment to Daily Maverick. However, he denied to City Press that he had authorised an investigation into Aucamp. He and Mollentze also denied to the publication the abuse of state resources for personal purposes. DM