By Julia Moyo
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has emerged with increased influence in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s latest Cabinet reshuffle, with party leader John Steenhuisen retaining a full Cabinet position and the party securing several key ministerial and deputy ministerial posts.Steenhuisen survived speculation that he could be demoted to a deputy ministerial role after he was appointed Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, one of the country’s most influential economic portfolios.
The reshuffle follows changes to the DA’s representation in the Government of National Unity (GNU) and includes the appointment of Yusuf Cassim as Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, replacing Mimmy Gondwe.
Other DA appointments include Geordin Hill-Lewis as Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dion George as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Alexandra Abrahams as Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, Jack Bloom as Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, and Dianne Kohler Barnard as Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development.
President Cyril Ramaphosa also appointed Dina Pule as Minister of Social Development to fill the vacancy in that portfolio.
In a statement, the Presidency said the appointments were made in accordance with Section 91 of the Constitution following consultations with leaders of parties participating in the Government of National Unity.Ramaphosa congratulated the newly appointed ministers and deputy ministers, saying he looked forward to working with them as government continued to advance its programme.
The reshuffle drew mixed reactions on social media, with much of the criticism centred on the appointment of Cassim as Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training.X user @HotTopicsLisa (Shiluva) wrote: “Rage baiting South like this should be a criminal offense. Now we have to investigate citizenship because we all know DA likes foreigners and doesn’t care about background checks.”Another user, @LadyMpopi (StarLedi), posted: “The DA Muslim people. This nonsense GNU political parties must fall. They are now putting Pakistanis in government and we reject this. There is no record of where his parents were born. Citizenship investigation is necessary here.”
X user @markmywords also criticised the appointment, saying: “South Africans don’t support this appointment. Ramaphosa is on the wrong side of history.”The criticism comes amid heightened public debate over immigration and citizenship following the recent March and March protests, which called for stronger action against illegal immigration.Despite claims circulating on social media, there is no official indication that Cassim is ineligible to hold public office. Before joining the executive, he served as the DA’s spokesperson on higher education and has held several leadership positions within the higher education sector.
