Four months after President Cyril Ramaphosa sacked Andrew Whitfield as second deputy minister of trade, industry and competition, the Democratic Alliance has yet to name a replacement. The vacancy persists amid ongoing US-South Africa trade talks, heightening tensions in the government of national unity. DA leader John Steenhuisen is expected to communicate the decision formally soon.
The position of second deputy minister in the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) has remained vacant since June, when President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed Andrew Whitfield for undertaking an unauthorised trip to Washington in February. Ramaphosa described the visit as a 'clear violation of the rules' governing executive members, insisting the action was constitutionally sound and citing precedent for such sanctions.
Whitfield's sacking exacerbated frictions between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) within the Government of National Unity (GNU). It followed disputes over the 2025 budget and policies addressing racial inequality. The DA issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Ramaphosa to remove corruption-accused ANC ministers, threatening 'grave consequences' including potentially exiting the coalition. However, the party later backed away from leaving the GNU or tabling a no-confidence motion against the president. Instead, it withdrew from the National Dialogue and refused to support budget votes for ministers like Thembi Simelane and Nobuhle Nkabane.
Ramaphosa rejected the ultimatum, stating he would not 'yield to threats or ultimatums' and expected the DA to nominate a replacement for approval, as per their entitlement in the GNU agreement. On October 26, his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told Daily Maverick: 'The matter will be resolved soon... The working relationship remains positive and constructive.' At the time, Ramaphosa was in Malaysia for the 47th Asean Summit, accompanied by Steenhuisen and other ministers including Parks Tau, the trade and industry minister.
DA spokesperson Charity McCord confirmed this week that the replacement process 'is being finalised,' with Steenhuisen to announce it formally upon completion. This follows Steenhuisen's mid-August statement that the party was in the final stages of addressing the vacancy. The portfolio, highly contested during last year's GNU negotiations, oversees critical areas like US-SA trade talks and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE). Recently, the DA proposed an 'economic inclusion for all' bill to replace BEE with a needs-based approach, a move the DTIC's B-BBEE Commission on October 23 called 'regression disguised as reform.'