The Democratic Alliance (DA) has until Friday to explain its reasons for appointing Willie Aucamp as the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment or face legal action from the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA).

In a lawyer’s letter to DA leader John Steenhuisen – seen by IOL – the NSPCA is demanding that the DA furnish it with:

1. The competencies relied on by the DA in nominating Aucamp and how this advances effective governance under the Constitution.
2. Copies of any vetting/due‑diligence reports and how the DA satisfied itself that Aucamp can comply with the Executive Ethics Code.
3. The DA’s written recommendation or correspondence to the Presidency proposing Aucamp and explaining the removal/ replacement of his predecessor Dion George who was fired recently.
4. The conflict‑of‑interest assessment conducted regarding Aucamp’s reported links with wildlife‑breeding or captive‑wildlife industry actors, and the remedial steps proposed, given the substantial public concern expressed by civil‑society groupings.

The uproar over Aucamp’s appointment comes amid allegations that he is linked to a family business with ties to hunting animals for profit and has been supportive of an organisation accused of representing the interests of the captive lion industry which breeds lions for exploitative purposes including trophy hunting and bone trading – a practice being phased out in South Africa.

The Aucamp business is also a collaborative partner to Piet du Toit, an exotic game and safari farm in South Africa which offers trophy hunting – the controversial killing of animals for sport and an industry worth R1.98 billion annually. And, whilst the company does not mention any trophy hunting on its website, its international website does include images of trophy hunters, a practice although allowed in South Africa, is slammed by animal rights groups, which argue it is cruel and unnecessary, causing psychological distress to the animals.

Defenders of the practice say its necessary to maintain conservation and supports habitat protection and anti poaching efforts. Piet du Toit also confirmed to IOL that it does offer trophy hunting, arguing it’s legal and necessary in South Africa.

The legal challenge from the NSPCA to the DA over Aucamp’s appointment also follows an earlier complaint from the Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa (WAPFSA) urging president Cyril Ramaphosa and Steenhuisen to reconsider that decision.

“Willie Aucamp, is proudly, explicitly and publicly aligned with South Africa’s hunting and wildlife breeding, including genetically modifying species, specifically for trophy hunting, his family have interests in the hunting and breeding of wild animals for profit. His clear alignment with this specific sector makes him an entirely inappropriate candidate for Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment as it stands in stark conflict with South Africa’s environmental legislation and policies as well as international Treaties to which South Africa is a Party,” reads the complaint.

Ironically, George’s firing was also pre-empted by WAPFSA in their complaint – when Aucamp was first nominated as a replacement.

“WAPFSA is also of the view that Mr Steenhuisen is trying to remove the Minister before the next CITES COP meeting in November 2025, in an attempt to withdraw all South Africa’s carefully considered and publicly consulted with proposals, which include voting against the trade in lion bone and rhino horn,” reads the complaint, also confirmed by the organisation’s coordinator, Megan Carr.

The captive lion industry is a commercial system, primarily in South Africa, where lions are intensively bred for various exploitative purposes, including cub petting, canned hunting, and the sale of their bones. This industry, which has an estimated population of up to 12,000 lions, raises serious animal welfare concerns and is being phased out in South Africa, although animal rights groups say this has been a very slow process.

Carr also questioned how Steenhuisen could address a meeting of a business linked to Aucamp, saying it represented a conflict of interest. Steenhuisen had addressed the Piet du Toit game auction – a business listed as a collaborative partner with Aucamp’s family business.

“Dion George, the previous DA minister of Forestry & Fisheries, supported South Africa’s stand on a ban on bone trading and an end to hunting for profit. He wanted to close the captive lion breeding industry and this was publicly supported by the DA whilst Aucamp publicly endorses SUCo – the sustainable coalition of organisations that advocate for and represent the interests of the captive lion breeding industry,” Carr told IOL.

Approached for comment, Steenhuisen defended his attendance at the auction, saying there was nothing untoward about it. He also denied any involvement in captive lion breeding or hunting.

“I have neither participated in, nor supported lion hunting activities, captive and otherwise. I visited the Du Toit auction, along with other political leaders, as a guest and in my role as minister of agriculture as aspects of wildlife ranching (some of the largest contributors to wildlife conservation in the country) falls under my portfolio. Equally I have met with a variety of animal welfare organisations and have appointed a ministerial representative to serve on the board of the NSPCA. As a minster I am required to interact with a variety of stakeholders across the spectrum in order to be able to make informed policy decisions,” he said.

However, it is now the same NSPCA which Steenhuisen says has a ministerial representative on board, that is challenging him on Aucamp’s appointment given the alleged conflict of interest.

Another influential animal lobby group, the Elizabeth Margaret Steyn (EMS) Foundation has also weighed in on the controversial appointment, saying it smacked of the growing influence of wildlife-breeding and trophy-hunting lobbies inside government.

“George’s removal was not simply a cabinet reshuffle. It was a political execution. And South Africa’s wildlife will pay the price. When George took over he moved to shut down the captive-lion industry, confirmed South Africa would not back any attempt to reopen international trade in rhino horn or ivory trade and refused to issue trophy-hunting quotas for elephant, black rhino and leopard. And that made George dangerous — not to the public, not to conservation, but to powerful private interests who have long treated wildlife as inventory,” the Foundation said in a statement. 

“When the Democratic Alliance became part of the interim government, its leader John Steenhuisen as Agriculture Minister walked straight into the arms of the wildlife-breeding sector. Steenhuisen appeared visibly out of his depth in a portfolio dominated by complex legal and scientific issues. Observers say he relied heavily on DA figure Willie Aucamp, who enjoys significant rapport with wildlife ranchers and breeders and by early 2025, Steenhuisen was openly championing the industry,” EMS noted in a statement.

Aucamp did not respond to requests for comment. IOL will update this story as soon as comment is received. 

The two leaders, George and Steenhuisen, have fallen out publicly over the removal of George from the portfolio, prompting Helen Zillie, chair of the party’s federal executive, to step in and refer the matter for investigation to its legal commission.

IOL

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