What we know so far
DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove John Steenhuisen as Minister of Agriculture, reassigning him to the smaller post of Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. Hill-Lewis confirmed the request in a statement issued on Wednesday morning, 17 June.
Willie Aucamp, currently Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, is proposed to take over the agriculture portfolio from Steenhuisen. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed that Hill-Lewis raised the request with Ramaphosa on Monday, both telephonically and in writing, and said the president is considering it.
The move is the first major reshuffle of the DA’s executive team since Hill-Lewis succeeded Steenhuisen as party leader in April. It also marks the most significant overhaul of the party’s ministerial and deputy ministerial contingent since the Government of National Unity was formed after the 2024 general election.
Why it matters
The DA holds six ministries and six deputy ministries in the GNU, the coalition Ramaphosa’s African National Congress formed with the DA and smaller parties after losing its outright majority in 2024. Any changes to that contingent affect how the country’s second-largest party in government is represented across key departments.
Steenhuisen’s departure from agriculture comes after a tenure marked by sustained criticism over the government’s handling of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, which has affected the livestock sector since well before his April resignation as party leader. Farming groups have repeatedly clashed with his department over vaccine procurement and distribution, and the department has faced court challenges from private vaccination interests.
Hill-Lewis framed the changes as a performance-based decision rather than a personal one. “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,” he said in the statement. He added that DA representatives in government must “unmistakably demonstrate the ‘DA difference’ in action.”
Agricultural industry body AgriSA welcomed Aucamp’s prospective appointment, saying it looks forward to working with him to advance the sector’s competitiveness, sustainability and inclusivity. The organisation also thanked Steenhuisen for his contribution, citing his role in expanding market access for South African agricultural exports and in establishing the Industry Coordination Council as a platform for government-industry coordination on disease control.
Key details and figures
Under the proposed changes set out by Hill-Lewis, six positions would shift:
Willie Aucamp moves from Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to Agriculture, replacing Steenhuisen. His immediate mandate, according to Hill-Lewis’s statement, is to resolve ongoing legal proceedings related to foot-and-mouth disease and to work with the sector to restore confidence through accelerated disease-control measures.
John Steenhuisen moves from Minister of Agriculture to Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, replacing Alexandra Abrahams.
David Maynier, currently Western Cape MEC for Education, would move into Aucamp’s vacated post as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
Alexandra Abrahams shifts from Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition to Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, replacing Samantha Graham-Maré, who would leave the executive.
Yusuf Cassim, currently the DA’s Eastern Cape provincial chairperson and a member of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, would become Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, replacing Mimmy Gondwe.
Jack Bloom, the DA’s longest-serving Gauteng provincial legislature member and the party’s Gauteng health spokesperson, would become Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, replacing Isaac Seitlholo.
Steenhuisen was appointed Minister of Agriculture on 3 July 2024 as part of the coalition agreement that formed the GNU. He led the DA from November 2020 until stepping down as party leader in April 2026, a decision he attributed at the time to having achieved his goal of bringing the DA into national government. Hill-Lewis, previously Cape Town’s executive mayor, was elected unopposed to succeed him at the DA’s 2026 federal congress.
What happens next
The final decision on all six positions rests with Ramaphosa, who holds the constitutional authority to appoint and remove ministers and deputy ministers. Magwenya has confirmed the president is still considering the request, and no formal announcement of Cabinet changes has yet been made.
Should the changes go ahead, Aucamp’s first tasks would centre on the foot-and-mouth disease legal proceedings and on rebuilding relationships with farming organisations that clashed repeatedly with Steenhuisen’s department. AgriSA has indicated it is ready to engage with a new minister on sector priorities including disease control and export market access.
It remains unconfirmed when Ramaphosa might announce a final decision, though reporting based on sources close to the discussions has suggested the changes could take effect before the end of June. That timeline has not been confirmed by the Presidency. Steenhuisen has not yet issued a public statement responding to the proposed reassignment.
