South Africa’s ruling governing coalition is facing an internal shake-up, as the new head of its second-largest partner party has formally requested President Cyril Ramaphosa remove a high-profile former party leader from his cabinet post. Geordin Hill-Lewis, who took over leadership of the Democratic Alliance (DA) from John Steenhuisen this past April, has proposed a sweeping set of changes to the party’s representation within the national unity government, led by the African National Congress (ANC). His top demand is the dismissal of Steenhuisen, one of South Africa’s most recognizable political figures, from his current role as Minister of Agriculture.
The current political arrangement in South Africa stems from the 2024 national general election, where no single political party secured an absolute parliamentary majority. This forced the formation of a multi-party coalition government, and as part of the power-sharing agreement, the DA now holds six full cabinet positions, in addition to multiple deputy minister posts across government departments. To date, President Ramaphosa has not issued a public response to Hill-Lewis’s request, but political analysts widely expect the president will not reject the proposed reshuffle, as coalition custom requires the president to accept a partner party’s proposed changes to its own cabinet representatives.
While Hill-Lewis has not publicly stated an explicit reason for pushing for Steenhuisen’s removal, political and agricultural observers widely link the move to Steenhuisen’s widely criticized handling of South Africa’s recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. The viral epidemic has caused catastrophic damage to South Africa’s $80 billion livestock industry, and Steenhuisen has faced sustained backlash from farming communities across the country for what they call his slow and inadequate action to contain the spread of the disease.
Under Hill-Lewis’s reshuffle plan, current Agriculture Deputy Minister Willie Aucamp would be promoted to replace Steenhuisen as full minister, with an immediate mandate to resolve outstanding legal disputes tied to the foot-and-mouth outbreak. For Steenhuisen, the proposed change would represent a significant demotion: the former DA leader has been nominated for the far lower post of Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry. This shift is not entirely unexpected, as Steenhuisen already opted not to run for re-election as DA leader earlier this year, a decision partially driven by an earlier financial scandal that eroded his support within the party.
Hill-Lewis also outlined a full slate of other personnel changes for the DA’s government representation. Under the proposal, David Maynier would move into the role of Minister of Environment, replacing the outgoing Willie Aucamp. Alexandra Abrahams, who previously served in a senior role on Steenhuisen’s leadership team, would be appointed Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy. Yusuf Cassim would take up the post of Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, while Jack Bloom would become Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation.
The reshuffle marks a sharp public split between two politicians who were once close political allies, highlighting the internal pressures facing South Africa’s young unity government as it works to address ongoing economic and agricultural challenges across the country.