So is he, or isn’t he a gonner? Nope, he has not gone yet but by all accounts Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, is in the process of being ousted from his pedestal. If Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has his way.
And the plotting has all happened while George is outside the country doing his bit at the COP30 Leaders’ Summit in Belém, Brazil. That’s a bit ungrateful!
According to a Daily Maverick analysis it’s to do with George’s stance against captive breeding, specifically the rhino horn trade and the commodification of wildlife.
It’s reportedly gaining him enemies amongst the rich and powerful private wildlife breeders who seem intent on a “campaign… to recapture the department and reverse two decades of reform.”
Says the Daily Maverick, It’s the “story of how the Elephant Indaba was staged and spliced into the Heritage Strategy is not a sideshow; it’s the mechanism of capture itself.”
Steenhuisen has reportedly asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove Minister George from his hot seat. There’s no statement but the Presidency has allegedly confirmed this request.
Steenhuisen wants him replaced with party spokesperson Willie Aucamp known to be a long-time ally of the wildlife-ranching and hunting lobby.
He has also apparently offered George a demotion to deputy minister of trade and industry, the position vacated by Andrew Whitfield. Might be a good fit as George revealed in a parliamentary question recently he has dual US citizenship.
Needless to say it is understood he has declined the post. Maybe he’ds considering joining the ANC!
So is it true or not? Let it be said that as of today none of the parliamentary websites nor the DA website vouches for this change – yet.
So the real question is what does the DA leader get out of it?
George has been stepping on toes in the fishing industry too – especially the thousands of deprived Western Cape small-scale fishermen who make a living from the sea. As much as he has given, he has also taken away. Last week’s paltry abalone quotas a case in point. The small pelagic appeals also hang in the balance as a “self-review” application is instituted. And small-scale fishing co-operatives are annoyed that they cannot use commercial fishing methods (trawling, long lining & purse seining) to harvest fishing rights allocated to the co-operatives.
The DA needs the votes if they are going to hang on to Cape Town and environs. They’ve just lost their majority in the George Council.
They need every fishing vote they can get.
Looks like we are in for a rocky ride again – and plenty mischievous politicking.
