17/06/2026
๐ฆ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐โ๐ฆ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐จ๐ก๐ง๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐ โ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐โ ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ฆ
Beauty Without Cruelty South Africa notes with deep concern the proposed Cabinet reshuffle in which DA leader Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to move Willie Aucamp from the environment portfolio to agriculture, replacing John Steenhuisen.
This is not merely a political reshuffle.
It is a defining moment for animal protection, wildlife governance, rural policy and the future of South Africaโs relationship with animals.
BWCโs position is clear: South Africaโs wildlife, farmed animals and rural policy must not be shaped by hunting, game breeding, captive wildlife, trophy trade or so-called โsustainable useโ interests.
Animals are not commodities.
They are not props.
They are not trophies.
They are not exports.
They are not breeding stock.
They are not economic units.
They are sentient beings with intrinsic value.
๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฆ
The agriculture portfolio is not only about crops, trade and farming economics.
It also carries enormous influence over animal health, biosecurity, disease control, rural land use, livestock systems, farming policy and market access.
In South Africa, the lines between agriculture, game ranching, wildlife breeding, hunting, captive animal industries and rural development are often dangerously blurred.
That is why this proposed appointment matters.
If animal and rural policy are pulled further toward commercial exploitation rather than ethical stewardship, animals will continue to be treated as resources to be used, bred, traded, hunted, consumed or managed for profit.
BWC rejects this.
๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐๐ค๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐จ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐๐ก๐ฌ
Willie Aucamp is the central concern because this is not simply a move from one Cabinet office to another.
It would place a politician already publicly associated with โsustainable useโ debates, and already criticised by animal protection and conservation voices for perceived closeness to hunting, wildlife-ranching and game-breeding interests, into a portfolio with enormous influence over animal health, biosecurity, rural land use, livestock systems, disease control, farming policy and market access.
This concern did not appear from nowhere.
In 2025, The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa raised formal concerns about Aucampโs proposed appointment to the environment portfolio, including concerns around his attendance at the Annual General Meeting of the Sustainable Use Coalition of South Africa.
Publicly available material relating to Aucamp Farming describes it as a family business with breeding, hunting and tourism divisions.
This does not mean BWC is alleging criminal conduct or unlawful conduct by Aucamp.
It means the public has every right to demand transparency, accountability and safeguards where a public officialโs policy responsibilities may intersect with industries that profit from hunting, breeding, trading or otherwise using animals commercially.
In animal protection, a perceived conflict of interest is already serious enough to require public clarity.
When the future of captive lions, trophy hunting, game breeding and wildlife trade may be affected, silence is not acceptable.
๐ ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ
South Africa has already faced international criticism for the captive lion industry, lion-bone trade, canned hunting, intensive wildlife breeding and other practices that reduce wild animals to products.
The captive lion industry has long been condemned by animal protection organisations because lions are bred into systems that may include cub petting, walking-with-lions tourism, trophy hunting and trade in bones and body parts.
Progress toward ending these industries must not be weakened, delayed or reversed.
The NSPCA - National Council of SPCAs has welcomed parliamentary progress toward prohibiting new captive lion breeding facilities, but has also warned that the work is not complete. Existing infrastructure and industry opposition remain real concerns.
BWC therefore believes that any proposed ministerial movement affecting agriculture, environment, rural policy or animal governance must be assessed through the lens of animal protection, not only through political convenience or economic interest.
๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐
The phrase โsustainable useโ is often presented as moderate, scientific and practical.
But in animal protection spaces, we have seen too often how this language can soften the reality of exploitation.
A system may be financially sustainable while still being morally unacceptable.
Captive breeding, canned hunting, trophy hunting, animal trade and exploitative farming practices can all be defended using economic language.
That does not make them just.
For BWC, the question is not only whether an industry can continue.
The question is whether it should continue.
Any policy that normalises the breeding, confinement, killing, trading or commodification of sentient beings must be challenged.
๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐จ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฃ๐๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก
Moving Aucamp from environment to agriculture does not remove the concern.
It may deepen it.
Agriculture is a powerful portfolio. It influences how animals are classified, managed, moved, monitored and economically valued.
It affects disease responses, rural regulation, farming systems and the industries that profit from animals.
If wildlife-use interests gain more influence over agriculture, the result could be a broader policy environment where farmed animals and wild animals are both further reduced to economic instruments.
This is precisely the direction South Africa must resist.
We need leadership rooted in compassion, science, transparency, public accountability and ethical coexistence.
Not leadership that gives more power to those who benefit from the suffering, confinement or killing of animals.
๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ก ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ก๐ง
Geordin Hill-Lewis is not only the DA leader.
He is also the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, a city internationally known for biodiversity, natural beauty and human-wildlife conflict challenges.
Cape Town residents have every right to ask whether the values promoted nationally by the DA align with the values the City claims to represent locally.
A city that speaks about biodiversity, conservation and responsible governance cannot remain silent when national political decisions risk strengthening industries that commodify animals.
This is not a party-political issue.
It is an ethical issue.
๐๐ช๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ข๐ก ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐ช๐๐ฆ, ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ก ๐ง๐ข ๐ฃ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐ข๐ก:
1. Captive lion breeding
2. Canned hunting
3. The lion-bone trade
4. Trophy hunting and wildlife breeding for profit
5. The influence of hunting and โsustainable useโ lobbies on public policy
6. Ethical wildlife governance in Cape Town and South Africa
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ช๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ
Beauty Without Cruelty South Africa calls for:
1. A public commitment that the DA will not reverse progress made toward ending captive lion breeding and the lion-bone trade.
2. A clear statement from Geordin Hill-Lewis explaining how the DA will protect animal welfare, biodiversity and ethical conservation from hunting and game-breeding interests.
3. A commitment that agriculture policy will not be used to advance the interests of the wildlife-use lobby.
4. Full transparency regarding any ministerial relationships, interests or associations that could influence animal, wildlife or rural policy.
5. Continued progress toward ending exploitative animal industries, including captive wildlife breeding, canned hunting and trade in animal parts.
6. The appointment of leaders who understand that animals are sentient beings, not commodities.
๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก
Please email Geordin Hill-Lewis, the DA and the City of Cape Town.
Ask them to clarify their position.
Ask them to protect progress made against captive lion breeding and the lion-bone trade.
Ask them to ensure that agriculture and environmental policy are not shaped by hunting, wildlife breeding and animal-use industries.
๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐ฆ:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ก๐:
Urgent Concern: Proposed Cabinet Reshuffle and the Influence of Wildlife-Use Interests
๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐:
Dear Mr Hill-Lewis, the Democratic Alliance and the City of Cape Town,
I am writing as a concerned member of the public regarding the proposed Cabinet reshuffle involving Willie Aucamp, John Steenhuisen and the agriculture and environment portfolios.
I am deeply concerned that this move may strengthen the influence of hunting, game breeding, captive wildlife and so-called โsustainable useโ interests over South Africaโs animal, wildlife and rural policy.
South Africa has already faced serious international criticism over captive lion breeding, canned hunting and the lion-bone trade. The public deserves assurance that progress toward ending these industries will not be weakened, delayed or reversed.
I respectfully request a clear public statement on the following:
1. Does the DA remain committed to ending captive lion breeding and the lion-bone trade?
2. Will the DA ensure that agriculture policy is not influenced by hunting, game-breeding or captive-wildlife interests?
3. What safeguards will be put in place to prevent conflicts of interest in animal and wildlife-related decision-making?
4. Will the City of Cape Town publicly support ethical wildlife governance and reject the commodification of animals?
Animals are sentient beings. They should not be reduced to trophies, trade products, breeding stock or economic units.
I urge you to show ethical leadership and ensure that South Africa moves forward, not backward, in its treatment of animals.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ
This statement is issued by Beauty Without Cruelty South Africa as public-interest comment, ethical advocacy and an expression of concern regarding animal protection, wildlife governance and public policy.
The concerns raised are based on publicly reported information, BWCโs animal protection mandate, and our position that South Africaโs wildlife and rural policy must not be shaped by hunting, game breeding, captive wildlife, trophy trade or so-called โsustainable useโ interests.
BWC does not allege criminal conduct, unlawful conduct, corruption or personal wrongdoing by any individual unless such findings have been made by a competent court or lawful authority.
Any reference to public officials, political representatives or institutions is made in relation to their public roles, policy influence and decision-making responsibilities.
BWC calls for transparency, accountability and clarification in the public interest, and invites any party named or affected to provide a clear public response.
๐๐ช๐โ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐
This moment is bigger than one reshuffle.
It asks South Africa what kind of country we want to be.
Do we want a future where animals are bred, confined, hunted, traded and justified through economic language?
Or do we want a future rooted in compassion, responsibility, biodiversity, ethical governance and respect for all sentient life?
Beauty Without Cruelty South Africa stands firmly for the second path.
We call on the public to speak now.
๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฆ.
Image generated from reference images credited to:
Sharon Seretlo / Gallo Images
Storm Simpson / News24
BWC is primarily an educational organisation promoting the rights of animals. While we do have 'hands-on' projects, our main mission is to educate and inform the public about the suffering of animals and offer kinder choices
