Forestry & fisheries minister Dion George was rude and abusive to his staff, an untenable situation that resulted in his party asking President Cyril Ramaphosa to axe him from the cabinet, DA insiders say.
The insiders who spoke to Business Day on condition of anonymity alleged that George transformed into what they described as a “monster” when he became a minister.
“On numerous occasions, minister George made deeply inappropriate remarks — including comments about driving staff to suicide and referring to them as ‘weak-minded’. These were not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of intimidation and psychological mistreatment,” one DA insider said.
“Many long-serving employees — individuals who had served the department faithfully for decades under multiple principals — reached out in tears, stating that they could no longer endure the conditions under his leadership. The level of distress among staff was unprecedented," the source added.
A cabinet colleague told Business Day it was clear the minister would not listen to anyone, including his party’s leaders.
“Other than refusing to abide by DA decisions, he disregarded cabinet decisions, which are legally binding on all ministers.
“He exposed the DA in cabinet by withdrawing legal action around a mining exploration case. That undermined the cabinet’s mandate. That was a big blunder and upset many people and gave the impression that the DA’s ministers were a law unto themselves,” the cabinet member said.
“Minister George’s decision to retain his American citizenship and to conduct official travel on a US passport has raised serious concerns about judgment and commitment to his public duties. These actions further highlight a troubling lack of discernment and accountability in his role,” the DA source added, raising questions about his suitability to serve even as deputy trade, industry & competition minister.
Business Day gave George the right to reply, which he turned down, referring the allegations to the DA leadership.
DA leader John Steenhuisen would only say that George was being demoted after rejecting the party’s request to serve as deputy trade, industry & competition minister.
“The trade & industry portfolio is one of the most important, and Dion George is a US citizen, which could have helped relations. It is just unusual that he would refuse, and I am disappointed because he would have been excellent in that portfolio. There have to be consequences,” Steenhuisen said in an interview.
Several of George’s colleagues in the party confirmed the allegations against him.
Political analyst Paul Berkowitz said it was difficult to make sense of George’s alleged behaviour.
“Was it work pressure? Was he captured? Did special interests lean on him? I don’t know,” Berkowitz said.
“I can imagine that all sorts of stakeholders, some powerful, will try to influence you once you are minister because of your new access,” he added.
DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp has been nominated as forestry & fisheries minister to replace George, who is said to have opted to revert to his position of handling the party’s finances.
Aucamp has held various senior positions in the DA’s parliamentary caucus.
The party, a key member of the government of national unity (GNU), has nominated party MP Alexandra Abrahams as deputy trade, industry & competition minister to replace Andrew Whifield, whom Ramaphosa fired this year for being party to an unsanctioned trip to the US alleged to have fuelled tensions between US President Donald Trump and SA.
Though Ramaphosa has the sole prerogative to hire and fire members of the national executive, traditionally he has done it in consultation with the ANC’s tripartite allies and, more recently, with the parties in the GNU.
Relations between the US and SA have been strained for some time, with President Donald Trump inviting Ramaphosa to the White House earlier this year and raising false claims of a white genocide in SA.
“The SA government wishes to state, for the record, that the characterisation of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group is ahistorical. Furthermore, the claim that this community faces persecution is not substantiated by fact,” the department of international relations has said.
Trump has used the unsubstantiated claims to snub the G20 leaders’ summit in SA later this month.
Under his presidency, Washington has imposed high tariff restrictions, undermining and unsettling industries in SA from wine and citrus to metals and manufactured goods.
SA’s preferential trade agreement with the US also lapsed in September.
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