Just two months into his tenure, newly appointed Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has initiated a major shadow cabinet shake-up on Wednesday, 17 June 2026.
Insiders confirm Hill-Lewis has stripped 36-year-old, Sello Seitlholo of the high-profile water and sanitation portfolio, removing him entirely from the party’s ministerial team. In a strategic pivot toward experience, the leadership has replaced Seitlholo with 65-year-old, party veteran Jack Bloom.
The abrupt removal of Seitlholo, previously seen as a rising star within the party’s younger ranks, signals a swift and uncompromising approach by Hill-Lewis to optimize performance in critical portfolios. Bloom, a seasoned politician with decades of oversight experience, is expected to bring immediate stability to the demanding water and sanitation brief.
“Following a careful assessment of the DA’s team in the Government of National Unity, I have written to President Ramaphosa setting out several changes to the Democratic Alliance’s representation in the National Executive.
“It is my judgement that the renewed team announced today will strengthen the DA’s contribution to government and give better effect to the mandate received from 3.5 million voters in the 2024 elections,” said Hill-Lewis.
The changes to the DA’s ministerial team were formally linked to performance evaluations by new DA leader. He framed the proposed Cabinet reshuffle as a direct measure of accountability, stating that positions are not an entitlement and that representatives must consistently meet high performance standards.
Speaking to City Report based on anonymity, top DA provincial leader said the decision to redeploy “hardworking” Seitlholo as Deputy Minister caught him off guard.
“We can defend the reasons why John deserved to be fired. But I don’t understand why Sello was replaced in the executive. He is a hardworking young man. It took him few months to understand his portfolio and he started delivering.
“Maybe we should see a criteria that was used to fire him. It is insulting to suggest that he was fired for his performance. Out of 100%, I would rate him 80%.”
Former DA leader John Steenhuisen was proposed to be demoted from Minister of Agriculture to Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. Analysts and party insiders directly tied this shift to his poor handling of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak and intense pressure from the agricultural sector.
Willie Aucamp, who has a farming background, was selected to replace Steenhuisen as Minister of Agriculture with an immediate mandate to resolve ongoing legal and vaccination issues. Additionally, Western Cape MEC David Maynier was proposed as the new Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
Hill-Lewis also requested a reassignment of several deputy ministers—including Yusuf Cassim replacing Mimmy Gondwe at Higher Education—to sharpen the party’s capacity in government and address electoral positioning ahead of upcoming municipal elections.
“Alexandra Abrahams moves to the role of Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy. She brings tenacity, discipline and a reform-minded approach to one of the country’s most crucial growth portfolios.”
“These changes demonstrate Democratic Alliance values in action. We believe in accountability in public office, high standards of performance, and responsiveness to the needs of South Africans.
“It is my firm expectation that each person representing the DA in government must unmistakably demonstrate the “DA difference” in action. That requires government rooted in our philosophical outlook, with higher standards of public service, and absolute commitment to integrity.”
Meanwhile, on Thursday, 18 June 2026, the ANC strongly criticized the DA for publicly demanding a ministerial reshuffle, asserting that appointing and removing members of the executive is the President’s exclusive constitutional prerogative. The ANC stated that the DA’s actions undermine President Cyril Ramaphosa’s authority and attempt to use strategic economic portfolios for internal party battles.
“This announcement exposes an uncomfortable contradiction at the heart of the DA’s politics. This is the same party that constantly claims to be the champion of constitutionalism but has repeatedly attacked, questioned and undermined President Cyril Ramaphosa whenever he exercises powers expressly entrusted to him by the Constitution. The appointment and removal of members of the Executive is a constitutional prerogative of the President. It is not subject to the directives of coalition partners, lobby groups or opposition parties.
“Yesterday we saw the DA make public announcements presented as a directive to the President and expect South Africans to quietly accept its own deployment decisions without question. This selective respect for the Constitution reveals a party that embraces constitutional provisions when they advance its interests and resists them when they do not benefit them,” said the ANC in a statement.
The party criticised the DA for hypocrisy, arguing its opposition to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) contradicts its claimed commitment to equal opportunity and reverses progress toward a non-racial society.
The ANC further condemned the DA for allegedly using critical, high-stakes economic portfolios within the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition as pawns for internal political, factional, and, in some cases, ideological battles.
