Ramaphosa Reshuffles Cabinet, Reassigns Former Democratic Alliance Leader

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a cabinet reshuffle, reassigning former Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen from the post of Minister of Agriculture to Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition.

The changes, unveiled on Tuesday evening, come after the DA’s new leader, Geordin Hill-Lewis, requested adjustments to the party’s representation in the Government of National Unity.

The Democratic Alliance is the second-largest party in South Africa’s governing coalition, behind Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC), and has been reviewing its cabinet appointments since Hill-Lewis assumed the party leadership in April.

Among the key changes, Ramaphosa appointed DA politician Willie Aucamp as the new Minister of Agriculture, replacing Steenhuisen. Aucamp previously served as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

The leadership change at the Agriculture Ministry comes as South Africa continues to battle a widespread outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that has affected livestock farming and raised concerns across the agricultural sector. Hill-Lewis had argued that new leadership was needed to strengthen the government’s response to the crisis.

The president also filled a long-standing vacancy in the Social Development Ministry by appointing ANC veteran Dina Pule as minister. The position had remained vacant since May, when former minister Sisisi Tolashe was removed from office following allegations of misconduct.

Pule returns to cabinet after more than a decade. She last served as a cabinet minister in 2013 before being dismissed amid allegations that she had improperly favoured a company linked to her then-boyfriend. Although Pule denied any wrongdoing, a parliamentary ethics committee later found that she had breached lawmakers’ code of conduct and imposed sanctions against her.

A senior member of the ANC Women’s League, Pule’s appointment marks her return to frontline government despite the controversy that ended her previous cabinet tenure.

The cabinet reshuffle reflects ongoing adjustments within South Africa’s coalition government as political parties seek to strengthen their representation and respond to key national challenges, including the country’s agricultural crisis and governance priorities.