Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has escalated the situation regarding his chief of staff, Roman Cabanac , by referring the matter to the departments human resources officials following Cabanac's refusal to step down, Cape {town} Etc reports.
This comes just weeks after Cabanac assumed the position, leading to speculation and media reports about a potential golden handshake, which Cabanac vehemently denied, calling the claims BS on stilts.
Cabanac expressed frustration over the lack of communication from the department in the past three weeks, accusing them of leaking stories rather than initiating the necessary HR processes. He emphasised his right to a fair and transparent process, stating, HR is meant to be doing that.
Since Steenhuisen currently lacks a ministry spokesperson, DA spokesperson Charity McCord addressed the situation, confirming that the minister had referred the matter to HR for processing the termination, although she refrained from disclosing the specific reasons for seeking Cabanacs dismissal.
Initially, Steenhuisen defended Cabanacs appointment, highlighting his qualifications, including an LLB degree and extensive experience as a legal consultant. However, following internal pressure and criticism over Cabanac's past pro-Kremlin statements and derogatory remarks about NGOs, Steenhuisen requested that Cabanac resign.
