South Africa’s National Agricultural Marketing Council has a new board, with ten members appointed by Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen taking formal office on 10 March 2026 — a governance reset timed to coincide with an ambitious push to deepen market access for smallholder and emerging farmers as the country’s agricultural sector enters a period of renewed expansion.
Prof André Jooste has been appointed as the new board chairperson, with Dr Sharon Thembi Xaba serving as vice-chairperson. The remaining eight members — Dr Kathleen Mary Hurly, Dr Bonile Simon Jack-Pama, Dr Muhammad Kadwa, Hlaleleni Jenetha Mahlangu, Ramatsimela Jacqueline Maisela, Happy Tlhame Mohane, Prof Khathutshelo Nephawe and Unati Speirs — will serve four-year terms. The NAMC, established under the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act of 1996, advises the minister on agricultural marketing policy, administers statutory measures and levy systems, and conducts research to strengthen market linkages across the value chain.
The appointments carry weight in the context of a sector that is both a critical economic driver and a transformation battleground. South Africa’s agriculture market is projected to grow from $15.4 billion in 2025 to $21.6 billion by 2031, registering a compound annual growth rate of 5.79%, with structural gains driven by export-oriented horticulture, precision agriculture tools and expanded value-chain finance rather than pure acreage growth. That growth potential, however, remains skewed. White-owned commercial farming operations continue to dominate the export value chain, with smallholder and black emerging farmers persistently locked out of premium markets by a combination of infrastructure deficits, limited access to post-harvest facilities and weak market intelligence.
Steenhuisen’s agricultural agenda in 2025 yielded measurable early gains — agricultural employment rose 2% to reach 920,000 jobs, and citrus exports reached a record 203.4 million cartons, a 22% increase on 2024. The minister also approved the inclusion of indigenous crops and medicinal plants under the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act, formally recognising a R12 billion sector and opening new opportunities for small-scale farmers and traditional communities. The new NAMC board inherits responsibility for translating that policy momentum into operational outcomes — a mandate that includes administering agricultural trust funds, conducting statutory measure investigations and producing market intelligence that shapes procurement, pricing and export strategies across the sector.
The NAMC’s chief executive, Dr Simphiwe Ngqangweni, said the organisation welcomed the ministerial reinforcement of governance and looked forward to working with the new council to advance its core mission. Steenhuisen urged all incoming board members to maintain the highest standards of fiduciary integrity and extended gratitude to the outgoing council for their service. The governance renewal arrives as the government presses ahead with its Agricultural and Agro-Processing Master Plan, which targets a structural shift in South Africa’s farming economy away from raw commodity exports towards processed, value-added products that generate more employment per rand of output. As noted by the NAMC, the appointments align directly with the council’s mandate to promote equitable market access and support the transformation and development of South Africa’s agricultural sector — a mandate that becomes more pressing as global trade headwinds and domestic input cost pressures test the resilience of farmers across all scales of operation.