South Africa’s DA leader seeks to demote agriculture minister

JOHANNESBURG, June 17 (Reuters) – The leader of South Africa’s Democratic Alliance has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa for changes to his party’s representatives in the cabinet, including the demotion of the agriculture minister, his predecessor as party leader.

• Hill-Lewis, who leads the second-largest party in the country’s governing coalition, said in a statement on Wednesday that he had written to Ramaphosa asking him to move John Steenhuisen from agriculture minister to deputy trade minister.

• The DA agreed on 12 positions in Ramaphosa’s cabinet as part of its agreement to join the Government of National Unity coalition in June 2024 and can ask the president to change its representatives.

• Steenhuisen led the pro-business DA from 2019 until April this year, when Hill-Lewis took over.

• Steenhuisen’s tenure as agriculture minister has focused on tackling a severe foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

• The DA has proposed that current Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Willie Aucamp takes over as agriculture minister and wants him to “bring the (foot-and-mouth) crisis under control,” Hill-Lewis said.

(Reporting by Nellie Peyton;Writing by Sfundo Parakozov;Editing by Alexander Winning)