Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s axed chief of staff, Roman Cabanac, has unleashed a blistering attack on the government of national unity (GNU), branding it a political “cult”.
Cabanac also accused the DA of hypocrisy and betrayal after what he described as his professional “destruction”.
A prominent political commentator, co-founder of the now-defunct Capitalist Party of South Africa, and former host of the Morning Shot podcast, Cabanac told BizNews in an emotional interview this week that he was personally headhunted by Steenhuisen in September 2024 to join the ministry — only to be shown the door less than a year later, allegedly “discarded under the weight of political pressure and media manipulation”.
The controversy first erupted when Cabanac’s old tweets, labelled by some as racist or homophobic, resurfaced on social media.
Cabanac insists that the posts were misunderstood jokes taken out of context.
“You live in a world now where a stand-up comedian makes a joke, and people say, ‘that’s your core belief’. It’s absurd,” he said.
Despite dominating headlines for weeks, Cabanac’s dismissal was ultimately pinned not on his tweets but on his alleged failure to disclose his dual nationality.
He vehemently denies any concealment: “My CV said I was born in Paris. It said I speak French fluently. If you didn’t ask whether I have dual citizenship, how can I be accused of hiding it?”
Recruited for outsider perspective
He argues that the party and minister both yielded to external pressure, leaving him scapegoated and abandoned.
“There’s a stasis in the GNU because everyone there is part of the cult — and it’s a cult of political parties, a cult of the ANC, the DA, or whoever else. There’s very little regard or very little capacity to have new, fresh people in there.”
Cabanac, who emphasises that he was never a DA member and did not apply for the role, says he was recruited purely for his skills and outsider perspective.
“I was never a DA member. I didn’t apply for the job. They brought me in from the outside because of my skills and experience. But it seems that was the very reason I had to go.”
On June 3, his 38th birthday, he received the devastating news of his formal termination.
“I was officially terminated on my birthday. June 3rd. That’s when the letter came through. It was the final blow after months of limbo.”
According to Cabanac, everything shifted after a ministerial trip to China. The previously collegial atmosphere evaporated.
“We landed on a Saturday. Everything seemed fine. Then on Monday I received an email [from Steenhuisen] suggesting a ‘dignified exit’. No explanation. And that was it.”
Two days later, Steenhuisen publicly stated he had asked for Cabanac’s resignation.
Cabanac says this was the first he’d heard of it and maintains there was never a proper conversation about any alleged shortcomings, nor a chance to defend himself.
No one asked about dual citizenship
Cabanac underscores his credentials: he holds an LLB and underwent full security clearance, including psychometric testing, constitutional law exams, and a polygraph with the State Security Agency.
Yet, he says, no one asked about his dual citizenship until after the media furore erupted.
“I know a lot of people in government hear about being vetted after a year, two, or three. But I was vetted very quickly … I am certain that some individuals have not even undergone the vetting process.
The fallout has been devastating both professionally and personally.
“I gave up everything. I was making good money, living a good life. I sold my businesses, resigned from my NGO [non-government organisation], and accepted a five-year position at a reduced salary.
“Now I can’t pay my bond; I can’t take care of my wife and three children. It destroyed my life,” he says.
Despite being sidelined, Cabanac says he stayed committed for months — signing off on official documents and supporting his team from the shadows, even as he was advised not to be in the office at the same time as the minister.
“I wasn’t allowed to travel, attend meetings, or do public engagements. But I still signed off official documents and supported my team as best I could.”
Political interference in staffing
Throughout, Cabanac remains unrepentant about his past tweets, channelling his frustration instead towards the broader political landscape.
“I’m so far removed from these political parties. I’m frankly disgusted by many of them — in fact, maybe all of them.
“So, the horse trading is not really material to me or matters to me. If you want me to go, fine. Talk to me. Let’s have a conversation. What can we negotiate? Okay, and then I’ll go.
“But to make the ultimate sacrifice by joining and then to make the sacrifice again by resigning to save the political career of the person who put me in that position is just not fair.
“I’ve got a wife. I’ve got three children. I’ve got a bond. I’ve got a dog. I gave up everything for it. You can’t expect me just to leave.
“This is not … I don’t know — this is not North Korea, right? Just talk to the person, make a deal, and exit.”
He condemns the DA for the same practice it regularly criticises in the ANC — political interference in staffing.
“If a political party can interfere with how a minister hires or fires civil servants, even when that employee isn’t a party member — that’s a huge danger.”
Taking the matter to court possible
He confirms that legal action is under consideration, although he declines to elaborate.
“I’m not vengeful. I’m calm. But you can’t treat people like this. If you say you’re a party of principle, then act like it,” he says.
Other sidelined or dismissed government staffers have since reached out to him, sharing similar stories. Now back on YouTube, Cabanac’s criticism of the establishment remains undimmed.
“There was an opportunity to bring in fresh blood and actually improve the state. But they didn’t want that. They wanted control.”
When asked for comment on the allegations, Steenhuisen’s ministerial spokesperson Joylene van Wyk said: “Please note that Mr Cabanac is not an employee of the Ministry of Agriculture. The minister has no comment to provide to Sunday World.”
