By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen’s appointment of controversial podcaster and media activist, Roman Cabanac, to his office has ruffled feathers.
Steenhuisen has named Cabanac as his chief of staff.
Various quarters of society have questioned the Minister’s move and have slammed the Government of National Unity (GNU), saying it continues to slap South Africans in the face.
This appointment comes on the heels of the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) recent controversy involving Renaldo Gouws, another prominent YouTuber and podcaster who was recently named a Member of Parliament.
Gouws, who is under investigation by the DA following the emergence of racist language in his videos, remains a Member of Parliament despite his suspension from party activities. Cabanac, known for his podcast Morning Shot and his failed political bid with the Capitalist Party of SA in 2019, was personally approached by Steenhuisen for the role.
Cabanac has a history of controversy, especially on X, and has faced criticism for his political views. He gained notoriety as a co-host of The Renegade Report, where he sparked outrage among Jewish communities by interviewing individuals with extremist views.
Steenhuisen has defended the appointment of Cabanac on the grounds of His legal experience, although it is unclear if Cabanac has completed his law articles.
“Cabanac has an LLB degree and has worked as a legal practitioner specialising in deceased estates for over 12 years… this experience more than qualifies him to be able to perform the functions required of a chief of staff.”
The choice of chief of staff is at the discretion of the relevant minister. It is a position on the third highest salary band in all of government, currently worth almost R1.4-million annually in taxpayers’ money.
The post generally requires “extensive management experience, an understanding of ministerial services and parliamentary functions to take charge of the overall management of the ministry, [and] knowledge of the Public Service Management Framework and Public Finance Management Act.”
Over the past year, Cabanac has referred to President Cyril Ramaphosa as a “p*es“, termed ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula “handicapped“, and referred to Ramaphosa’s spokesperson as “Cyril’s Spokesretard“.
Cabanac, who is a Trump supporter, openly pro-Putin and enjoys mocking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, also tweeted that South Africa could “learn from Viktor Orban“, the Hungarian strongman who has dismantled democracy in that country.
The DA has constantly urged South Africa to hold it to different, higher standards. On a section of its website dedicated to outlawing cadre deployment, the party writes: “The DA has proposed a new law that will ensure that jobs go to all South Africans (based on merit), and not devoted ANC friends (lacking competency and integrity).”
Meanwhile former minister of Agriculture Thoko Didiza said, the details surrounding the R500 million allocation are recorded in Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) annual reports, including audit reports. A forensic investigation into the utilisation of some of the allocated funds revealed that OBP addressed concerns related to subcontracting through the involvement of the Special Investigative Unit (SIU).
Didiza advised Steenhuisen to be cautious when discussing the matter publicly, stating that doing so could lead to unintended and severe repercussions for both the Department and its entities.
She emphasised her willingness to continue offering assistance to Steenhuisen on these matters. Furthermore, she expressed concerns about the public perception that nothing was done by the previous administration to address these challenges. In her view, it is inappropriate to make conclusive statements while law enforcement investigations are still ongoing.