Steenhuisen on employing Cabanac: ‘We don’t always get it right’
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader and Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has confirmed that he has asked his newly-appointed chief of staff Roman Cabanac to quit.
Steenhuisen who initially defended Cabanac’s appointment said this as he addressed the Cape Town Press Club on Thursday, 12 September.
STEENHUISEN WEIGH IN ON ROMAN CABANAC’S IMMINENT RESIGNATION
During his address, Steenhuisen said he is happy to admit that no one gets it right all the time.
“People make mistakes, people don’t always get it right and I think you should be judged for what you do when that mistake has been made and has been pointed out to you and what you do thereafter. There has been a conversation with Mr Cabanac and it is a human resource discussion that’s underway and frankly, I found it far too destructing from the work of our ministry and our government,” the DA leader said.
Steenhuisen added that he has asked Cabanac to consider stepping aside from his role as chief of staff.
“RACIST, DIVISIVE AND CONTROVERSIAL” PODCASTER SAYS HE HAS CHANGED
Cabanac’s appointment sparked outrage on social media platforms as users shared various tweets and videos where he was seemingly racist.
According to Daily Maverick, Cabanac has repeatedly referred to black people as the “Bantu tribe” or “Bantu people”.
He has also hinted that the Sharpeville massacre – in which 69 protestors were killed by apartheid police – may not have happened in the manner history records.
Over the past year, Cabanac juxtaposed an image of a “p*es” sign when referencing president Cyril Ramaphosa, termed ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula “handicapped”, and referred to Ramaphosa’s spokesperson as “Cyril’s Spokesretard”.
On Wednesday, 11 September, Cabanac released a statement where he acknowledged that his past comments were controversial and sparked debates.
“In the past, I built my brand as a critic of the previous government. I pushed boundaries to gain attention on social media and sometimes made divisive, idle and poorly considered statements in the heat of online journalism. While some of the criticisms were well-founded, I also admit that others were insensitive and provocative, driven by the desire to invite debate,” he said.
Further, he said he has changed after it dawned on him that his approach had not been constructive.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE U-TURN ROMAN CABANAC’S APPOINTMENT?
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