The EFF has ordered for the immediate dismissal of Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen’s controversial chief of staff, Roman Cabanac.
Due to condemnation and mounting pressure from the public, Steenhuisen was compelled a few months ago to ask Cabanac to step aside from his new position due to his racist remarks online.
Despite the pending termination of his contract, the strong-opinionated podcaster’s profile on X proudly states that he still works in the minister’s office as chief of staff.
“Months after claiming to have asked Cabanac to step down due to his controversies, Steenhuisen has shamelessly retained him, exposing the minister’s duplicity.
“Steenhuisen’s commitment to surrounding himself with unqualified and inflammatory individuals highlights the DA’s history of prioritising racism and cronyism over competence and stability. It is evident that Steenhuisen’s statement that he had let Cabanac go were nothing more than hollow attempts to pacify public criticism,” said the EFF’s national spokesperson, Leigh-Ann Mathys.
Amid the EFF’s in-house political disputes regarding reports about Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi barred from the party’s elective conference in December, the Red Berets slammed Steenhuisen for peddling racism by retaining Cabanac in office.
Mathys also criticised the minister for only completing matric, suggesting this affected his leadership skills.
Steenhuisen recently announced that he has decided to embark on a new academic journey by enrolling with Unisa to upgrade his education levels.
“His (Steenhuisen) decision to prop up a racist and unqualified podcaster in a senior role highlights his disdain for genuine transformation and his commitment to a white supremacist agenda. South Africa needs visionary leadership grounded in expertise, not political opportunism that rewards prejudice and mediocrity,” said Mathys.
Cabanac’s continued employment is an insult to not only democracy, but also to taxpayers whose hard-earned money funds his annual fat pay cheque exceeding R1.4 million, said Mathys.
“Cabanac, a man known for his vile, racist commentary and divisive rhetoric, represents everything antithetical to building a stable and expert-led government,” she said.
As the agricultural sector highlights the grim issue of land ownership – it is plagued by entrenched racial inequality – Mathys suggested Cabanac’s appointment symbolised the persisted grip of apartheid injustices.
“Agriculture remains the least transformed sector in South Africa, symbolising the persistent grip of apartheid-era injustices. Our people deserve transformative leadership, not perpetuation of exclusion and bigotry,” said Mathys.
The Star
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