Overview
- DA leader Geordin Hill‑Lewis has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting a reshuffle of the party’s national executive posts and publicly named the proposed replacements.
- Willie Aucamp is proposed to replace John Steenhuisen as Minister of Agriculture with a specific task to resolve ongoing legal proceedings over foot‑and‑mouth disease vaccine access.
- The move would shift Steenhuisen to Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition and reassign several DA deputies to electricity, higher education and water portfolios as outlined by the party.
- The High Court in Pretoria previously ruled that farmers may procure private FMD vaccines from lawful suppliers, a decision that has increased pressure on the agriculture portfolio and won support from farming groups.
- The changes are party proposals that take effect only if the president accepts them and the reshuffle could affect sector confidence, legal outcomes on FMD and the DA’s message on accountability and economic growth.