Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
06 September 2024 | 10:04 a.m. SAST
2-minute read

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s appointment of Roman Cabanac as his chief of staff has sparked significant media attention over the past few weeks due to inflammatory social media comments made by Cabanac in the past.

Senior research associate at the Auwal Socioeconomic Research Institute (ASRI), Dr Imraan Buccus said that it is not only likely to stain Steenhuisen’s reputation, but also damage the DA’s standing in the Government of National Unity (GNU).

“For John Steenhuisen to choose an ardent racist as his chief of staff was a huge, huge error of judgement,” Dr Buccus said.

The DA’s recent suspension of Renaldo Gouws for alleged racial slurs brings to attention the party’s apparent insensibility to South African politics.

“They really are tone deaf to South African politics. The Renaldo Gouws case is a case in point, that they again appoint someone who’s made disturbingly racist comments- a far right-wing figure. And of course, Helen Zille continues to be sucked down what could be an alt-right social media rabbit hole,” Dr Buccus said.

Despite the uproar from South African citizens, the party continues to defend the appointment of Cabanac- a move that proves the party’s indifference to South African politics and serves to stifle its growth, Dr Buccus said.

Such decisions, Dr Buccus added, will negatively impact the fragile GNU if it is not urgently addressed.

A possible course of action to remedy the situation and avoid permanent damage would be for the DA to resolve the Gouws and Cabanac fiascos and replace Steenhuisen with a more credible leader.

“If the DA does not act decisively, it poses a serious risk to the viability of the GNU and gives political ammunition to the EFF and the MK,” Dr Buccus said.

On the topic of populism, Dr Buccus drew parallels between South Africa’s relatively young democracy and the older democracies, such as that of the United States, which both face problems with xenophobia, police violence and racism and face risks from rising populism.

Listen to the ASRI Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Junaid Kharsany.