John Steenhuisen's future in the Cabinet may have more to do with voter management than ministerial performance. But whether he stays or goes, the Constitution makes one person accountable: the president.
Let's cut to the chase.
John Steenhuisen may well have to leave the Agriculture Ministry. Not because President Cyril Ramaphosa believes he has failed. Not because the Constitution demands it. And not necessarily because his performance warrants dismissal.
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He may have to go because the Democratic Alliance has concluded that he has become politically inconvenient.
That is the real politics at play.
The debate over Steenhuisen's future has less to do with constitutional powers or ministerial performance than with electoral positioning before the 2026 local government elections and the DA's concern about retaining parts of its traditional support base.
Agriculture occupies a unique place in South African politics. It is not merely a government portfolio; it is a symbolic and strategic constituency touching commercial farmers, agribusiness, rural communities and, crucially for the DA, many Afrikaans-speaking voters. These voters are concentrated not only in metropolitan areas such as Tshwane, but also across the Western Cape, the Southern Cape, vast stretches of the Karoo and other rural regions where agricultural politics remains deeply influential.
Foot-and-mouth disease
Whether justified or not, the perception among sections of the farming community that the government's response to foot-and-mouth disease has been inadequate appears to have become...
