Ramaphosa Appoints Sihlobo as New Agriculture Envoy

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Wandile Sihlobo as his new Presidential Envoy on Agriculture and Land, elevating one of the country’s most prominent agricultural economists into a strategic role at the presidency.

It is unclear why the president would need to appoint an envoy if he was satisfied with the performance of the minister. The job of a minister is to serve as the linkage between the government and the industry for which the minister is responsible. Sihlobo has therefore been given the same set of responsibilities as the minister.

Sihlobo currently serves as chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and is a member of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. He also holds an academic position at Stellenbosch University and has published extensively on agricultural markets, land reform, and food security.

In announcing the appointment, Ramaphosa emphasised the strategic importance of agriculture to South Africa’s economic growth and rural development. The presidency said the sector faces persistent constraints but also significant domestic and international opportunities that require coordinated intervention.

As envoy, Sihlobo is expected to support the president’s priorities across agriculture, rural development, land reform, and trade. His role will include working closely with relevant government departments and key state institutions such as the Agricultural Research Council, the Land Bank, and Onderstepoort Biological Products.

The presidency said the objective is to remove bottlenecks to agricultural growth, strengthen competitiveness, expand inclusion, and boost export performance. The appointment signals a renewed focus on aligning policy, finance, and research capacity in a sector widely regarded as central to job creation and food security.

It is unclear whether Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen had been consulted about Sihlobo’s appointment, but sources told The Common Sense he had not been. Sihlobo’s appointment was described to The Common Sense as “a cold-blooded putdown of John”.

The appointment of Sihlobo also likely indicates that Ramaphosa does not have faith in Steenhuisen to manage the relationship between the government and farmers and the broader agricultural industry, especially given the ongoing foot-and-mouth disease crisis. This could also make Steenhuisen’s position in the Cabinet more tenuous, which will be exacerbated by his decision to not contest the leadership of the Democratic Alliance in April, a position he currently holds.