Illustrative image: John Steenhuisen (Photo: Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images) | Geordin Hill-Lewis (Photo: Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images) John Steenhuisen is being demoted from his position of agriculture minister.
DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove Steenhuisen from the Cabinet, demoting him to deputy minister of trade, industry and competition.
Alexandra Abrahams, the current DA deputy minister in the trade and industry portfolio, will become deputy minister of electricity.
Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Willie Aucamp will succeed Steenhuisen as agriculture minister, while Hill-Lewis has asked Ramaphosa to appoint Western Cape MEC for Education, David Maynier, to the Cabinet to Aucamp’s old portfolio.
Hill-Lewis announced these changes and others to the DA’s representation in the executive in a statement on Wednesday morning, 17 June.
“Following a careful assessment of the DA’s team in the Government of National Unity, I have written to President Ramaphosa setting out several changes to the Democratic Alliance’s representation in the national executive.
“It is my judgement that the renewed team announced today will strengthen the DA’s contribution to government and give better effect to the mandate received from 3.5 million voters in the 2024 elections,” Hill-Lewis said.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ED_554415-2.jpg "The DA wants to move John Steenhuisen from agriculture minister to deputy minister of trade, industry and competition. (Photo: Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu)")
Steenhuisen’s removal from the Cabinet comes after months of mounting criticism for his handling of South Africa’s foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease outbreak by farmers and members of the broader agricultural sector.
In May, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled against Steenhuisen on the private rollout of FMD disease vaccines by farmers and veterinarians. The order, granted in favour of Sakeliga, Suider-Afrika Agri Inisiatief (Saai) and Free State Agriculture, confirmed that farmers may procure and administer FMD disease vaccines without state permission.
Steenhuisen’s department has been under significant pressure from agricultural groups during the FMD crisis, with recent comments from his chief of staff, Jana le Roux, exacerbating the situation.
Earlier this month, Le Roux forwarded an email containing a formal letter from a collective of farmers asking for engagement with the department’s FMD vaccination strategy to department staffers, referring to it as “some amusement”.
It later emerged that Le Roux allegedly also told the CEO of Free State Agriculture at a social event at Nampo in May, that she would “f*** [them] up in court”, according to Rapport. The DA’s constituency is strongly represented by farmers. Such incidents could make the DA vulnerable ahead of the elections to the Freedom Front Plus.
On Wednesday, Hill-Lewis said Aucamp’s “immediate mandate” is to resolve the ongoing legal proceedings relating to FMD, to work with the sector to overcome the crisis and restore confidence through accelerated practical steps to bring the crisis under control.
“During his tenure, Minister Steenhuisen spearheaded the expansion of market access for South Africa’s agricultural products, and made progress in the procurement and distribution of vaccines for foot-and-mouth disease,” he said.
“John Steenhuisen will replace Alexandra Abrahams as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, where he will focus on the successes he has achieved in expanding market access, and now adding new areas of work in supporting industrial growth, improving competitiveness, and working with business and labour to help unlock job creation.”
On Wednesday, Hill-Lewis also announced that Yusuf Cassim, who has served on Parliament’s portfolio committee on higher education, will be appointed deputy minister of higher education and training, while Jack Bloom, a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, will take up the position of deputy minister of water and sanitation.
“These changes demonstrate Democratic Alliance values in action. We believe in accountability in public office, high standards of performance, and responsiveness to the needs of South Africans.
“It is my firm expectation that each person representing the DA in government must unmistakably demonstrate the ‘DA difference’ in action. That requires [a] government rooted in our philosophical outlook, with higher standards of public service, and absolute commitment to integrity,” he said. DM