JOHANNESBURG - DA leader, Geordin Hill-Lewis, wants party cabinet ministers moved around. That may be easier said than done.
A political analyst cautions; the process is not simply about replacing one minister with another.
The proposed changes could see some ministers and deputies reassigned following an internal performance review. Some could be left out completely.
The proposals are as follows:
Political Analyst, Ongama Mtimka, said some elected for executive positions must first be sworn in as Members of Parliament. Thereafter, President Cyril Ramaphosa will make the appointments.
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This is because ministers serve at the pleasure of the President, and their appointment is his prerogative.
“If there aren't vacancies, it becomes very interesting because there has to be some request from the party to sitting Members of Parliament to vacate their seats.
“You already have three Deputy Ministers currently who would need to vacate those roles- those being Samantha Graham--Maré, Mimmy Gondwe and Sello Seitlholo,” he said.
Mtimka said the success of this plan would depend on whether these three deputy ministers would all be willing to resign.
He believes bargaining would need to take place at party level to make sure that the process is seamless.
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Even so, Mtimka cautions that Ramaphosa does not have an obligation to accept every recommendation put forward by the DA.
“Obviously, there may be a backlash from this. The President doesn't have to take everybody on that list, nor does he have to agree with the assessment of the party when it comes to performance.
Questions also arose about the powers that the DA leader has in this regard.
Hill-Lewis was appointed DA Federal Leader in April 2026, taking over from John Steenhuisen, who had been at the helm for eight years.
He has been the Mayor of Cape Town since 2012 and has served in various DA shadow cabinet positions.
“He's going to always want to convey the message to the GNU partners that those in cabinet on behalf of the DA have somewhere else to answer. He appears as though he's somebody who's not going to take kindly to being perceived that he's sidelined in the process. So, I don't know how sustainable this is going to be,” he said.
Beyond the suggested shake-up in the DA Government of National Unity team, Mtimka believes this is part of Hill-Lewis's effort to establish his authority within the party.
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He argued that by targeting figures closely associated with the former DA leader John Steenhuisen, he may be signalling a power shift.
“The public nature in which this process has been done shows that Geordin Hill-Lewis wants to convey a message to the constituents of the Democratic Alliance, as well as members of his faction, that he can lead the party from Cape Town.”