Ramaphosa reshuffles cabinet, returns Dina Pule amid DA backlash
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a cabinet reshuffle, confirming changes to Democratic Alliance-held posts and appointing a controversial former minister, drawing sharp criticism from his coalition partner.
The reshuffle, announced on 30 June after consultations with DA leaders in the government of national unity, confirmed Willie Aucamp as agriculture minister and David Maynier as minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment. Former DA leader John Steenhuisen was demoted to deputy minister of trade, industry and competition, along with a series of other deputy-minister changes.
The most contentious move was the return of Dina Pule, a former communications minister, as minister of social development. Pule was removed from cabinet under President Jacob Zuma in 2013, after parliament's ethics committee found she had failed to disclose a relationship with a businessman who benefited from a departmental contract.
The Democratic Alliance reacted with anger, arguing that a politician previously found guilty of serious ethical breaches should not be entrusted with one of government's most important portfolios, which oversees social grants relied on by millions of South Africans.
The reshuffle underscored the tensions within the coalition government, formed after the ANC lost its outright majority, as the parties negotiate the distribution of power in a fractious partnership.
