DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis decided not to flex his political muscle immediately after his election, choosing not to topple the DA’s six ministers and three deputy ministers in the Government of National Unity.
In doing so, he resisted internal pressures. John Steenhuisen’s position as Minister of Agriculture, in particular, came under fire, while calls also came for the removal of his close political ally and Minister of Public Works, Dean Macpherson. Clearly Hill-Lewis decided that political irritation is not enough to bring about change right now.
After all, Macpherson is performing rather well. Agriculture, however, is another matter – owing largely to the foot-and-mouth disease debacle that Steenhuisen inherited from the ANC, yet proceeded to handle in an exceedingly unconvincing fashion. Nevertheless, Hill-Lewis appears to have taken the view that Steenhuisen deserves an opportunity to help bring the outbreak under control.
This despite many DA candidates for the local elections later this year – especially those in rural areas – not regarding this stance with much enthusiasm. They want to campaign on service delivery, but this cannot be enforced in agricultural communities where foot-and-mouth disease is prominent.
Even more so, given that the FF Plus and certain agricultural organisations are demonstrably eager to assist in the identification of a scapegoat.
This column has previously cautioned that the matter of Steenhuisen’s tenure as minister of agriculture would not simply disappear. That warning has now been underscored by his second humiliating foot-and-mouth disease defeat in court.
In both cases, part of the ruling in the interdict court was based on the fact that the agricultural department and/or minister did not act properly and even tried to delay the court ruling.
Attempts at an ill-conceived compromise, that farmers could vaccinate their own herds provided they were under State control, have been overturned by the court. Farmers can now obtain the vaccine themselves and vaccinate their cattle. This remains a provisional order until a court case on the matter is heard later this year.
Whether he wants to know it or not, the latest court ruling puts Steenhuisen’s position as minister back on Hill-Lewis’ desk. He should read the last two court rulings and then declare that it contains enough shortfalls that the DA would not overlook if any ANC minister were in a similar situation.
At the very least, it would be a credible attempt to still hold onto Steenhuisen, but untrustworthy if the aforementioned exercise leads him to that conclusion.
The idea that Ivan Meyer, Western Cape MEC for Agriculture, should succeed Steenhuisen is also off the table. Not because he was ousted as DA federal chairperson by Gauteng’s Solly Msimanga.
He and his family traveled to Taiwan on vacation last year. China responded by cutting all ties with Meyer. The country is a growing importer of South African agricultural products. An agreement that reduces pre-treatment of citrus fruits and eliminates import duties from Africa to China could increase the country’s share of our citrus exports from 6% to 10% and beyond.
It simply wouldn’t be realpolitik for President Cyril Ramaphosa to approve Meyer’s appointment. The issue, which won’t go away, is waiting in Hill-Lewis’ inbox.
- Barnard Beukman is editor of the national Afrikaans weekly, Die Papier.
