Picture: RSA president, Cyril Ramaphosa
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
1 July 2026 – The Republic of South Africa (RSA), president Cyril Ramaphosa will be making changes to the national executive following consultation with the leadership of the Democratic Alliance as a member of the Government of National Unity (GNU). Ramaphosa said these changes will affect the Ministries of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Trade, Industry and Competition, Electricity and Energy, Higher Education, and Water and Sanitation.
“I will in line with Section 91(3)(b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (“the Constitution”) appoint Willem Aucamp as the Minister of Agriculture, David Maynier as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
“Furthermore, in accordance with Section 93(1)(a) of the Constitution, I will appoint John Steenhuisen as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Alexandra Abrahams as Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, Jack Bloom as Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, and Yusuf Cassim as Deputy Minister of Higher Education,” he said.
Ramaphosa further said in the vacant Ministry of Social Development, he has appointed Dina Pule as the Minister of Social Development in accordance with Section 91(3)(b) of the Constitution. He wished all the incoming Ministers and Deputy Ministers well in their roles.
However, the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) said appointing new ministers without reforming their policy mandate will do nothing to reduce South Africa’s 60% youth unemployment, lift the growth rate above the paltry average of 1% or raise fixed investment from the current 15% of GDP to anywhere near the world average of 26%.
IRR Economic policy analyst and research coordinator, Anlu Keeve argues that South Africa has rotated a great many individuals through its ministries over three decades, while the transformation agenda guiding their policy has remained constant – and debilitating. Keeve said new ministers operating under the old policy mandate will simply produce the old outcomes.
“Fixed investment has remained below 15% of GDP against a world average of 26%, growth since 2008 has averaged little more than 1%, and youth unemployment stands at 60%. Competent administrators executing a poverty-perpetuating policy framework will still perpetuate poverty.
“Drawing on the founding paper of its Blueprint for Growth series, the IRR calls on the President to measure his new ministers against five growth-oriented benchmarks such as secure property rights, free markets over state direction, labour markets open to employment, a depoliticised and capable state and economic growth as the overriding policy priority,” she said.
Keeve further said Ramaphosa may reshuffle his cabinet as often as he judges necessary. She added that but a reshuffle that leaves the current policy architecture untouched will produce the same results, only with different signatures on the same documents.
“The IRR asks the President to apply a single test to his cabinet. Whether the policies each minister pursues are calculated to raise investment, employment, and growth,” said Keeve.
The Guardian 