JOHANNESBURG, July 1– South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced changes to the country’s coalition government, appointing new ministers and deputy ministers in a reshuffle of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
In a statement issued Tuesday by the Presidency, Ramaphosa said the changes followed consultations with the leadership of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in the GNU. Willie Aucamp was appointed minister of agriculture, replacing John Steenhuisen, who was named deputy minister of trade, industry and competition.
David Maynier was appointed minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment. The structural adjustments also introduced several new deputy ministers from the DA, including Alexandra Abrahams for electricity and energy, Jack Bloom for water and sanitation, and Yusuf Cassim for higher education.
Dina Pule was appointed minister of social development, filling the vacancy left after former minister Sisisi Tolashe was removed from office in May. The Presidency said the newly appointed ministers and deputy ministers were scheduled to be sworn in on Wednesday afternoon.
The reshuffle comes after the DA elected Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis as its federal leader in June. Following his election, the party submitted changes to its representation in the national executive, including the replacement of Steenhuisen as agriculture minister.
South Africa’s GNU was formed in 2024 after the African National Congress (ANC) failed to secure an outright majority in the general election for the first time since the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. The coalition currently comprises 10 political parties and governs through a power-sharing arrangement led by the ANC. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
