The EFF has criticised agriculture minister John Steenhuisen's first 100 days in office, labelling the department “flagrantly incompetent and corrupt”.
EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys accused Steenhuisen of prioritising “cadre deployment” over merit-based appointments in his office.
“He continues to cling on to his cadre deployment appointments of his unqualified cronies and white supremacists while trying to bend the rules to push them through. Steenhuisen's request for a deviation from the minimum appointment requirements for his candidates shows his blatant disregard for the rules that govern public office appointments,” Mathys said.
“His nominations of Annette Steyn, Una Christians, Charity McCord and Mr Kruger are an insult to the hardworking and qualified South Africans who are being overlooked in favour of Steenhuisen's politically connected friends. Three of these four candidates only possess matric certificates and do not meet the minimum academic qualifications required for the positions they have been nominated for, with the last one not having enough experience for their role.”
One of the controversial figures appointed by Steenhuisen was podcaster Roman Cabanac. His appointment sparked outrage due to some of his past social media posts. Despite Steenhuisen asking Cabanac to resign two weeks ago, he remains in his position, claiming he never refused to step down.
“Cabanac is now refusing to step down, rightly pointing out that Steenhuisen was fully aware of his racist background before hiring him. This demonstrates not only Steenhuisen's poor judgment but also his complicity in fostering white supremacists and racist individuals in government, and his lack of commitment entirely to his job and responsibilities,” Mathys said.
She attributed the delays in finalising appointments, worker salaries and departmental progress to Steenhuisen's alleged cadre deployment.
“Steenhuisen is not only failing his staff by withholding their salaries but is also holding the country hostage by delaying government operations to satisfy his own political agenda.
“The EFF will continue to expose and fight against the corrupt practices of Steenhuisen and all those who seek to undermine the functioning of government for their personal gain. We demand that he be held accountable for his incompetence, his racist appointments, and the failure of his leadership in the department of agriculture.”
TimesLIVE reached out to the DA for a response to these allegations, but the party refused to comment.
TimesLIVE
'Incompetent and corrupt': EFF slams Steenhuisen's 100 days in GNU
Minister 'appointing unqualified cronies and white supremacists'
Image: Veli Nhlapo
The EFF has criticised agriculture minister John Steenhuisen's first 100 days in office, labelling the department “flagrantly incompetent and corrupt”.
EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys accused Steenhuisen of prioritising “cadre deployment” over merit-based appointments in his office.
“He continues to cling on to his cadre deployment appointments of his unqualified cronies and white supremacists while trying to bend the rules to push them through. Steenhuisen's request for a deviation from the minimum appointment requirements for his candidates shows his blatant disregard for the rules that govern public office appointments,” Mathys said.
“His nominations of Annette Steyn, Una Christians, Charity McCord and Mr Kruger are an insult to the hardworking and qualified South Africans who are being overlooked in favour of Steenhuisen's politically connected friends. Three of these four candidates only possess matric certificates and do not meet the minimum academic qualifications required for the positions they have been nominated for, with the last one not having enough experience for their role.”
One of the controversial figures appointed by Steenhuisen was podcaster Roman Cabanac. His appointment sparked outrage due to some of his past social media posts. Despite Steenhuisen asking Cabanac to resign two weeks ago, he remains in his position, claiming he never refused to step down.
“Cabanac is now refusing to step down, rightly pointing out that Steenhuisen was fully aware of his racist background before hiring him. This demonstrates not only Steenhuisen's poor judgment but also his complicity in fostering white supremacists and racist individuals in government, and his lack of commitment entirely to his job and responsibilities,” Mathys said.
She attributed the delays in finalising appointments, worker salaries and departmental progress to Steenhuisen's alleged cadre deployment.
“Steenhuisen is not only failing his staff by withholding their salaries but is also holding the country hostage by delaying government operations to satisfy his own political agenda.
“The EFF will continue to expose and fight against the corrupt practices of Steenhuisen and all those who seek to undermine the functioning of government for their personal gain. We demand that he be held accountable for his incompetence, his racist appointments, and the failure of his leadership in the department of agriculture.”
TimesLIVE reached out to the DA for a response to these allegations, but the party refused to comment.
TimesLIVE
READ MORE:
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TOM EATON | The era of GNU polyamory is introducing strange bedfellows
‘I have never refused to resign,’ says Cabanac
It’s not business as usual, says Steenhuisen
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