Former forestry, fisheries and environment minister Dion George has accused former DA leader John Steenhuisen of being “ungrateful” and “dishonest”, while revealing that Steenhuisen himself pressured him to meet lobby groups after refusing requests from Resolve Communications to facilitate meetings with one of its clients.
George’s explosive claims come after News24 reported on Sunday that Steenhuisen alleged Resolve Communications — the public affairs firm chaired by former DA leader Tony Leon — repeatedly sought to arrange meetings between him, as agriculture minister, and one of its clients on policy matters.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, George confirmed that Resolve had also sought access to him after he became minister, but said he repeatedly refused to meet its client, waste management company Redisa, because it was embroiled in litigation with his department.
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He also accused Steenhuisen of hypocrisy, saying the former DA leader had personally urged him to meet both Redisa and representatives of the Wildlife Ranching Association (WRA), despite his objections that doing so while court cases were pending would compromise him.
“I find it very interesting that John is now claiming to be some kind of victim,” George said.
“Tony Leon asked me to meet with Redisa. Paul Boughey also approached me a few times. I said no because the matter was in court. I wasn’t going to compromise myself.”
George said Leon first approached him shortly after the formation of the government of national unity.
“They wanted to facilitate a meeting with Redisa. I refused because there was active litigation between the department and the company.”
There was negative commentary about me. I thought Resolve was behind it. I don’t have evidence of that, but I know how politics works. They had approached me, I refused, and then there was negative commentary. I put two and two together.
— Dion George
He said Resolve renewed the request after his department withdrew draft waste management regulations because of technical flaws.
“Tony asked again and I again refused. I said there would be a proper public participation process where everyone, including Redisa, could make submissions.”
George said that after refusing the requests he noticed what he believed was a campaign against him.
“There was negative commentary about me. I thought Resolve was behind it. I don’t have evidence of that, but I know how politics works. They had approached me, I refused, and then there was negative commentary. I put two and two together.”
He stressed that he had no evidence that Resolve orchestrated such a campaign.
George said Steenhuisen’s own conduct undermined his recent complaints about lobbying.
“John also asked me to meet with Redisa and I said no.”
He said Steenhuisen repeatedly encouraged him to engage with the Wildlife Ranching Association while the organisation was litigating against his department.
“He relentlessly insisted that I should meet them. I told him we were in court and I would compromise myself.”
George further alleged Steenhuisen suggested that responsibility for ranched wildlife should be shifted from the environment department to agriculture.
“He said to me that if I agreed that wild animals being farmed and ranched were no longer the responsibility of the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment, but rather agriculture, then the pressure would go away. I said no. I wasn’t going to do that because I don’t support the concept.”
George said he eventually met the Wildlife Ranching Association only to inform it that he would continue implementing government policy, including closing down the captive lion industry.
“I told them I was proceeding with government’s position. ANC policy, DA policy, everybody’s policy was that the captive lion industry had to be closed.”
He suggested his refusal to yield to lobbying pressure ultimately cost him his cabinet post.
“John knew I wasn’t going to budge on the captive lion issue or on environmental matters. The only way to force me to do what he wanted was to dismiss me.”
George also said there had been longstanding unease within the DA about Resolve’s influence.
“There were certainly grumblings. There was this noise that Resolve was very close to the DA and therefore taking advantage of its proximity.”
While no formal complaints were lodged, George said concerns were widely discussed inside the party.
He also claimed there were concerns about the role of former DA chief executive Ryan Coetzee after he returned as a consultant following the formation of the government of national unity.
“There was grumbling in the party about Coetzee, who came back as a consultant to the ministers in government.”
George said he opposed what he regarded as excessive influence by outside advisers.
“I had a very clear position on that because I thought we don’t want external influence when ministers are doing their jobs. Support, yes. Direction, no.”
George said the concerns extended beyond national government and included Resolve’s work in DA-run administrations.
“Resolve did work, or there was some work, in the City of Cape Town, for example,” he said.
“There was this sort of grumbling that this outfit is very close to the DA and therefore taking advantage of its proximity.”
George stressed that while there was “noise” within the party, the concerns never resulted in formal complaints.
“I certainly never heard any complaining from John at all. He may have been uncomfortable, I don’t know, but we never really had a conversation about it. There was grumbling in the party about it.”
He said he had declined to renew one such arrangement while he was still in office.
George rejected direct comparisons between Resolve and the disgraced British public relations firm Bell Pottinger but said there were similarities in political tactics.
“When I think about what happened with Redisa, I wouldn’t meet them and then there was negative commentary, I thought, ‘this is a familiar playbook.’ It is possible they ran a negative campaign. If John has evidence, he must bring it.”
George also challenged Steenhuisen’s account of his own proposed removal from cabinet.
He disputed suggestions that Steenhuisen had been guaranteed the agriculture portfolio after stepping down as DA leader.
“My understanding of that agreement was that he would stay as minister so long as he delivered. It wasn’t an uncaveated agreement. It was: you can stay as minister, but you must perform.”
George said Steenhuisen failed to meet that expectation.
“He did not perform. We know this.”
He argued Steenhuisen had nevertheless been treated generously.
“He got a mattress to land on. They made him deputy minister. They should have taken him out completely because he had not been successful, but instead he got a very soft landing.”
George accused Steenhuisen of now attempting to rewrite events.
“What he’s trying very hard to do is position this as though he was betrayed and that there’s a crisis in the DA. It’s not so.”
He added: “His behaviour now is, frankly, ungrateful and dishonest.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, Resolve Communications categorically rejected allegations levelled against the firm by political parties and denied engaging in any improper conduct.
The company said it had “at all times conducted our public affairs work in a manner that is lawful, transparent, ethical and entirely consistent with accepted professional practice in South Africa and internationally.”
It said “not a single piece of evidence has been presented by anyone” to substantiate allegations of wrongdoing.
“What has been offered are political statements, not facts; accusations, not proof; and politically opportunistic noise, not substance.”
Resolve defended lobbying as “a legitimate, recognised and necessary profession”, saying businesses were entitled to engage government in a constitutional democracy.
It also rejected comparisons with state capture as “reckless”, saying facilitating lawful meetings between clients and government bore no resemblance to the corruption associated with the state capture era.
The company said it was considering its legal options over allegations made against it and added: “We are proud of our record and comfortable with scrutiny. What we will not do is accept, without challenge, the weaponisation of the language of corruption to score political points at our expense.”
ActionSA said it requested President Cyril Ramaphosa to institute an urgent investigation into explosive allegations made by Steenhuisen regarding Resolve Communications’ alleged privileged access to DA ministers and senior members of the executive.
ActionSA MP Lerato Ngobeni said members of the GNU executive are constitutionally required to exercise their powers in good faith, in the public interest and in a manner that inspires public confidence.
“Any perception that politically connected lobbying firms enjoy privileged access unavailable to ordinary South Africans undermines these constitutional principles and weakens trust in democratic governance. ActionSA will therefore submit written parliamentary questions, at the first available opportunity, to every DA minister and deputy minister serving in the GNU.”
The ANC called for an investigation on Resolve stating the allegations raise important questions about ethical governance, accountability and the assault on the integrity of democratic institutions.
“These are matters that deserve to be addressed openly and transparently in the interests of maintaining public confidence in government.
“For too long, the Democratic Alliance has sought to frame corruption as a phenomenon primarily associated with black-led governments and institutions while projecting administrations under its control as inherently more ethical and accountable. This selective political narrative has contributed to the harmful perception that corruption is linked to race rather than to individual criminal conduct and systemic governance failures.
“Recent governance developments demonstrate that procurement irregularities, ethical lapses and governance weaknesses are not determined by race, geography or political affiliation, but are risks confronting every administration.”
Steenhuisen was sent detailed questions and his response will be included once received.
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