Three ministers, one portfolio

The DFFE churn continues

SOUTH AFRICA: Since South Africa's Government of National Unity took shape in 2024, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has cycled through three DA ministers in under two years, raising questions about continuity, governance and political priorities

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) oversees some of South Africa's most complex and contested policy terrain: climate change commitments, biodiversity, the fishing industry, forestry, environmental authorisations and the country's obligations under international agreements. It is work that demands strategic depth, stakeholder trust and institutional memory.

Since the Democratic Alliance (DA) assumed control of the portfolio as part of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in July 2024, three different ministers have sat in the DFFE's corner office, none of them making it to the two-year mark.

Cost of continued churn

Three ministers in under two years is not a record in South African politics, but in a department as technically demanding as the DFFE, the churn carries a particular cost. Environmental governance depends on long-horizon planning. Climate commitments, biodiversity frameworks, fisheries management plans and environmental authorisations operate on timelines that stretch well beyond a single political cycle, let alone a ministerial tenure of less than two years.

Every ministerial change means new priorities, a new advisory structure, a re-evaluation of existing policy commitments and a period during which senior officials spend time briefing a new minister rather than advancing the department's work. Institutional memory resides in the civil service, but direction and political will must come from the top. When that direction shifts repeatedly, departments default to maintenance mode rather than reform.

There is also a staffing dimension. Ministerial offices turn over with each incumbent, affecting the continuity of communication between political leadership and the department's administrative core. At the DFFE, which must manage highly technical regulatory processes involving multiple stakeholders across fishing, forestry and environmental sectors, this is not a trivial consideration.

George was appointed Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment on 3 July 2024, after the DA secured the portfolio as part of its GNU coalition agreement with the ANC. He arrived at the DFFE with limited background in environmental affairs but set about tackling the issues related to offshore bunkering as a matter of priority. He released regulations for the environmental management of ship-to-ship transfer of fuel and other fluids that aimed to reduce the impact of offshore bunkering on the penguin population as well as address underwater noise from ships.

He, however, did nothing to mitigate the uncertainty around the continuity of the ship management contract for the SA Agulhas II and the Algoa. During his tenure the tender was once again cancelled and reissued, and was not finalised.

He was also tasked with tackling many of the appeals and issues that remained unresolved after the long term Fishing Rights Application Process (FRAP).  

His removal on 12 November 2025 came without public warning. DA leader John Steenhuisen asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to replace him, and Ramaphosa acceded. In the days that followed, allegations of sexual misconduct against George appeared in the media, attributed to anonymous sources. George denied the claims and announced he would sue for defamation, describing what he called a smear campaign.

He submitted a complaint to the Public Protector alleging that Steenhuisen had acted under the influence of criminal interests and illicit networks to have him removed, specifically because of his stance against illegal wildlife trafficking. In January 2026, after nearly 30 years as a DA member, George resigned from the party, his parliamentary seat and his leadership positions.

Willem Abraham Stephanus Aucamp's appointment triggered immediate and sustained criticism from environmental, animal welfare and conservation organisations. The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum of South Africa and the NSPCA both raised concerns about an alleged conflict of interest: Aucamp and his family have publicly declared ties to South Africa's captive wildlife and trophy hunting industry.

During his tenure, however, the maritime industry finally saw the long-awaited award of the ship management tender for the SA Agulhas II and the Algoa. In addition, the Department recently released the bid calling for submissions to manage the remainder of their fleet which has, until now, been undertaken by the South African Maritime Safety Authority, under their special vehicle – Maritime Special Projects.

Aucamp stepped into the position and continued to address issues related to fishing rights, and he committed to addressing the backlog of environmental appeals related to the offshore oil sector.

However, controversy still surrounded his alleged conflict of interest. ActionSA launched an investigation after alleging that Aucamp moved to terminate a task team overseeing recommendations to phase out the captive lion breeding industry, a process George had set in motion. The NSPCA demanded that Aucamp publicly disclose whether he had filed his mandatory Executive Ethics Code financial-interest declaration, and whether he would place relevant business interests under independent control.

Aucamp denied any conflict of interest. In June 2026, less than seven months after taking the DFFE portfolio, he was moved to the Ministry of Agriculture in a DA cabinet reshuffle, replacing Steenhuisen.

David John Maynier will now be stepping into the space and, unlike his predecessors, has some connection to the maritime industry. As a former submarine officer and navy diver in the South African Navy he also served as Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans from 2009 to 2015.

He has his work cut out for him. There’s a lot on his plate as he enters into office, not the least of which is the need to ratify the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (High Seas Treaty) which South Africa signed in June 2025.

The maritime industry is also waiting for the finalisation of the Ocean Economy Master Plan (OEMP) which has been bandied about the department since 2019 and is still to be approved, released or implemented.

As education MEC, Maynier was not without controversy. The Western Cape Education Department faced criticism over the reduction of more than 2,400 teaching posts from January 2025, linked to a R3.8 billion budget shortfall. The province also faced allegations of indirect racial discrimination in school admissions after a 2025 Western Cape High Court ruling found that late-application policies disproportionately disadvantaged black, poor and rural learners. Maynier described a subsequent parliamentary committee inquiry as a political hit by the Basic Education Portfolio Committee and lobby group Equal Education.

He was announced as the new DFFE minister on 17 June 2026, as part of a broader GNU reshuffle by new DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis. His appointment brings significant experience in finance and administration to the portfolio, though he enters the DFFE with no prior background in environmental, fisheries or forestry policy.

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