The Dual Leadership: Meet South Africa's New Ministers Of Agriculture And Land Reform Under The GNU

The South African agricultural landscape is undergoing its most significant structural change in years, a direct result of the 2024 general election and the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU). As of December 20, 2025, the crucial portfolio of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development is no longer under a single minister. This strategic split has created two distinct, powerful roles, now occupied by two leaders from opposing political parties: John Henry Steenhuisen as the Minister of Agriculture, and Mzwanele Nyhontso as the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development. This new dual leadership is tasked with balancing the commercial farming sector's needs with the urgent, historical mandate of land restitution and rural transformation. The decision to separate the two departments—Agriculture from Land Reform and Rural Development—was a key feature of the new GNU Cabinet, announced in July 2024. This move aims to allow each sector to flourish under dedicated leadership, ensuring that agricultural production and food security receive focused attention, while the politically complex and historically sensitive issues of land reform are handled separately. This article provides an in-depth look at the two key figures now steering South Africa's vital primary sector and their respective 2025 policy mandates.

The New Face of South African Agriculture: Minister John Steenhuisen

The appointment of Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Henry Steenhuisen as the Minister of Agriculture on July 3, 2024, marked a historic moment, placing a leader from the official opposition into a critical cabinet position within the GNU. His mandate is clear: to modernise, grow, and secure the commercial agricultural sector, which is a significant contributor to the nation's GDP and employment.

John Henry Steenhuisen: Biographical Profile

• Full Name: John Henry Steenhuisen
• Date of Birth: March 25, 1976
• Place of Birth: Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
• Education: Matriculated from Northwood School
• Political Party: Democratic Alliance (DA)
• Current Role: Minister of Agriculture (since July 3, 2024) and Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA)
• Previous Roles: Chief Whip of the Official Opposition, Member of the National Assembly.

Steenhuisen's Seven Strategic Priorities for 2025/26

In his 2025/26 Budget Vote Speech, Minister Steenhuisen outlined a bold, seven-point strategy aimed at transforming the agricultural sector into a modern, competitive, and job-creating engine. The core focus is on creating an enabling environment for both established commercial farmers and emerging farmers, ensuring long-term sustainability and resilience against external shocks.

The key strategic priorities include:

• Partnerships for Growth: Fostering stronger collaboration between government, commercial farming bodies (such as Agri SA), and the private sector to unlock investment and market access.
• Modern and Competitive Sector: Driving technological adoption, particularly in precision agriculture and smart farming, to boost efficiency and global competitiveness.
• Biosecurity and Disease Management: A top-tier priority is waging war against animal diseases, notably the persistent outbreaks of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), which severely impacts the livestock export market.
• Climate Change Resilience: Implementing strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change, water scarcity, and extreme weather events on crop production and food security.
• Infrastructure Investment: Lobbying for improved rural infrastructure, including roads, bulk water, and reliable electricity supply (Load Shedding mitigation) to reduce the cost of farming.
• Skills and Training: Investing in agricultural education and mentorship programmes for the youth and emerging farmers.
• Global Alignment: Aligning national agricultural research and cooperation with international bodies like the G20 MACS (Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists).

The Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development: Mzwanele Nyhontso

Working in parallel with the Minister of Agriculture is Mzwanele Nyhontso, the leader of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), who was appointed Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development in July 2024. This ministry is tasked with the monumental and often contentious responsibility of addressing the historical injustices of land dispossession, a central issue in South African politics dating back to the Natives Land Act of 1913.

Mzwanele Nyhontso: Biographical Profile

• Full Name: Mzwanele Nyhontso
• Date of Birth: September 8, 1973
• Political Party: Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC)
• Current Role: Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development (since July 2024)
• Previous Roles: President of the PAC, Member of the National Assembly.

Nyhontso's Mandate: Accelerating Land Restitution and Empowerment

Minister Nyhontso’s portfolio is distinct and carries a heavy social and political weight. His department is focused on the three pillars of land reform: restitution, redistribution, and tenure reform. The department's Strategic Plan for 2025–2030 highlights an aggressive approach to finalising outstanding land claims and ensuring that redistributed land is productive.

Key focus areas for the Land Reform and Rural Development portfolio include:

• Land Claims Backlog: Prioritising the resolution of the massive backlog of land claims, including those lodged after the 2014 re-opening of the claims process.
• Productive Land Use: Implementing support programmes to ensure that beneficiaries of land reform have the necessary resources, training, and infrastructure to operate successful farming enterprises. This is a critical link to the Department of Agriculture.
• Rural Development Initiatives: Fostering economic activity in rural areas beyond just farming, including agro-processing, rural tourism, and small business development, to combat rural poverty.
• Tenure Security: Finalising legislation and mechanisms to provide secure land tenure for farm dwellers, labour tenants, and those living on communal land.
• Budget Allocation: Managing the 2025/26 budget vote to strategically allocate funds to provinces with the most pressing land reform needs, such as the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Implications of the Ministry Split on South Africa's Food Security

The separation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development is a high-stakes experiment under the GNU. Proponents argue that the split allows for a dedicated focus: Steenhuisen can champion the economic and technical needs of the agricultural sector, while Nyhontso can concentrate on the socio-political imperative of land transformation. This division of labour is expected to improve efficiency and accountability. However, the success of this new structure hinges on the seamless cooperation between the two ministers. The agricultural sector, food security, and land reform are fundamentally intertwined entities. Commercial farming relies on secure land tenure and a stable policy environment, while land reform beneficiaries need technical and financial support from the agricultural department to succeed. The two departments must achieve a high level of policy coherence to avoid contradictory directives that could undermine investment confidence and threaten South Africa’s position as a major food producer on the continent. The coming years, particularly the 2025/26 budget cycle, will be a crucial test for this new, dual-leadership model in one of South Africa's most economically and historically sensitive sectors.

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