Farmers cheer Steenhuisen’s exit from agriculture

The announcement that John Steenhuisen will no longer serve as South African (SA) minister of agriculture has farmers applauding.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has demoted Steenhuisen to deputy minister of trade, industry and competition.

Willie Aucamp will now take over agriculture.

Aucamp, until now the forestry, fisheries and environment minister, is a farmer himself and has served as a DA member of parliament since 2024.

Hill-Lewis, in a letter to president Cyril Ramaphosa, requested this change as well as other adjustments to the DA’s roles in SA’s coalition government, as previously reported.

The request still needs to be rubber-stamped by Ramaphosa before it can take effect.