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AGRICULTURE NEWS - Many agriculture role players have welcomed the axing of John Steenhuisen as minister of agriculture.
Democratic Alliance leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove John Steenhuisen from his post and to make him deputy minister of trade and industry as part of a broader reshuffle of the DA's cabinet.
TLU SA President, Bennie van Zyl, has welcomed the report that Steenhuisen has been demoted to a more junior position and is being replaced by Aucamp.
Van Zyl says although Steenhuisen made a few good international trade deals, commercial farmers' best interests were not always considered by his department. He says Steenhuisen's handling of the Foot and Mouth Disease was very wrong as he chose to follow the wrong advice.
In contrast, Van Zyl finds Aucamp to be an approachable person who understands farmers' challenges and needs.
The shuffle is believed to form part of the DA's efforts to strengthen its policy teams and position itself ahead of the 4 November local government elections.
Hill-Lewis has reportedly asked the president to effect the following changes to the DA's ministers and deputy ministers in the GNU:
- David Maynier, Western Cape Minister of Education to be moved to Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment.
- Alexandra Abrahams, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, will then move from the position to the Department of Energy and Electricity to make way for Steenhuisen (as Deputy Minister).
- Abrahams will replace Samantha Graham-Maré as Deputy Minister of Energy and Electricity and Graham-Maré will no longer serve on the executive branch.
- Jack Bloom, the DA's spokesperson for health in Gauteng, is joining the executive branch. Bloom will replace Isaac Seitholo as Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation.
- Mimmy Gondwe will in turn be removed as Deputy Minister of Higher Education. Gondwe will be replaced by Yusuf Cassim, currently the DA's provincial chairperson in the Eastern Cape and member of the provincial legislature in the Eastern Cape.
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