DA federal chair Helen Zille has sought to distance her party from the controversial decision of party leader John Steenhuisen to appoint Roman Cabanac as his chief of staff.
Zille said Cabanac was neither a DA employee nor one of its representatives.
Steenhuisen is facing a backlash for appointing Cabanac as his chief of staff in the ministry of agriculture given the latter’s many polarising public statements.
Responding to questions from the Sunday Times about her views on the appointment and whether her party will take any action in the light of Cabanac’s history of posting allegedly racist and homophobic statements, Zille said the party’s hands were tied.
“The Roman Cabanac issue is different, as he is not a DA employee or a DA public representative. The party therefore has no jurisdiction over his appointment and no disciplinary powers in respect of him. I can only comment on party matters, not government matters. I trust you will understand,” said Zille.
Steenhuisen is under pressure to remove Cabanac from his position.
We will leave it to Mr Cabanac, now he is part of the administration led by President Ramaphosa, to reflect on his previous comments
— Vincent Magwenya, Presidency spokesperson
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa could not dictate who was appointed to the various government ministries.
“It is the prerogative of any minister to appoint [his or her] chief of staff in accordance with the applicable public service rules. It’s not for the president to get involved in such processes. The office of the president will work with all newly appointed ministerial chiefs of staff in a professional and courteous manner.
“We will leave it to Mr Cabanac, now he is part of the administration led by President Ramaphosa, to reflect on his previous comments. Supposedly, following the public outcry after the appointment, the minister will perhaps also reflect on how he exercised his [discretion] in this regard,” said Magwenya.
Steenhuisen, who was in China with President Cyril Ramaphosa this week, did not respond to questions, with a spokesperson saying the minister was travelling.
Steenhuisen has previously defended the appointment of Cabanac. Last week, News24 quoted him as saying, “Mr Cabanac is fulfilling an internal administrative role managing the staff and processes in the minister’s office. His LLB degree and 12 years as a legal consultant specialising in deceased estates have equipped him with an eye for detail and [knowledge of the] processes ... required when one has to manage two offices and staff in two cities, as well as a complex flow of documents that need to be understood and signed in the ministry.”
Cabanac has posted a string of allegedly racist posts on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that have since been deleted.
He made comments that appeared to minimise the Sharpeville massacre and claimed the right to life was better protected before the advent of democracy in 1994. He also said access to water is not a human right and made snide remarks about “poor Xhosas” moving to the Western Cape.
Several DA leaders, who spoke to the Sunday Times on condition of anonymity, said they were concerned about “negative sentiment emerging out of the controversies” surrounding people appointed by Steenhuisen.
“It’s uncomfortable for black and gay people to have our leader appoint someone who said life was better during apartheid and [said] the tragic passing of a gay public figure from Aids long before treatment was available was a punishment from God,” a senior DA leader said.
Another DA leader who was asked if they would raise their disapproval within the party said they did not want to “rock the boat”.
“We are in government and doing good work. We don’t want to be seen to be creating drama, but the public perception of our party is suffering [as a result of the conduct of] people who not so long ago had their own political parties. Collectively, we work hard for the DA, and these sideshows are compromising our standing in society,” the leader said.
This week, an old video of a conversation between controversial DA MP Renaldo Gouws and Cabanac sparked outrage, with some condemning it as homophobic.
Gouws is still suspended from party activities over yet another old video of his filled with expletives and the K-word.
“The Gouws matter, concerning the past conduct of a DA public representative, was the subject of a complaint, and I therefore sent it to our federal legal commission. I understand the commission is wrapping up its work on this case, and its report will be served before the [party’s federal executive] at the end of this month,” Zille said.
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