From internal turmoil to GNU: Steenhuisen's tenure leaves mixed legacy

DA Leader John Steenhuisen’s announcement that he will not seek re-election at the party’s elective conference in April has drawn a mix of praise and criticism from across the political spectrum.

Steenhuisen made the announcement earlier on Monday in Durban, saying he believed he had completed the task he set out to achieve when he took over the leadership of the DA in 2019.

He said his attention would now shift fully to his role as Minister of Agriculture, particularly the fight against the country’s Foot-and-Mouth disease outbreak.

“I have delivered everything that I promised my party when I was first elected as federal leader back in 2019,” Steenhuisen said.

“I proudly picked up the party’s banner when its internal polling was down to just 16% and after the media had declared the ‘death of the DA’.”

Steenhuisen stated that his leadership was guided by the belief that the party’s challenges could be addressed by reinforcing its core values. According to Steenhuisen, this approach helped stabilise the party and drive it to new heights, culminating in the DA’s entry into national government in 2024.

Steenhuisen said his tenure would be remembered for helping place South Africa on what he described as a new path to prosperity through the Government of National Unity (GNU).

“This is not the end of the road for the DA, or for myself,” he said. “There is an important next mission for the party: to build on our success in the GNU and grow the DA into the biggest party in South Africa, capable of leading future coalition governments at local, provincial, and national levels.”

He added that for the remainder of his term, he would focus his full attention on tackling the Foot-and-Mouth Disease crisis, including pursuing mass vaccination to prevent future outbreaks.

Senior figures within the DA were quick to praise Steenhuisen’s leadership.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said Steenhuisen deserved recognition for steering the party through one of the most difficult periods in its history.

He said Steenhuisen took over at a time of internal uncertainty but managed to stabilise the organisation, refocus its mission, and return it to growth ahead of the 2024 elections.

“He brought opposition parties together ahead of the 2024 election and then led the DA into national government for the first time,” Hill-Lewis said. “That alone makes him one of the most consequential leaders in our party’s history.”

Hill-Lewis said Steenhuisen leaves the DA in a far stronger position than when he took over in 2019, adding that it was now up to party members to build on that foundation.

Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink echoed those sentiments, saying Steenhuisen’s leadership had strengthened the party and restored ideological clarity.

Brink credited Steenhuisen’s partnership with Helen Zille for uniting the party and giving it much-needed direction.

“As he said today, I can attest to his support for me as a young DA leader,” Brink said. “In a line of leaders that began in 1959 with Jannie Steytler, it was John Steenhuisen who led our party into government in 2024.”

He said participation in the GNU was important, but stressed that the DA’s broader goal should be to unite a new majority based on shared values and meaningful social change.

However, other parties were far less generous in their assessment.

ActionSA spokesperson Matthew George said his party did not usually comment on the internal affairs of others, but questioned Steenhuisen’s explanation for stepping aside.

“John’s claim that he will now focus fully on Foot-and-Mouth Disease, and the impression he is trying to create that this crisis is under control, is farcical,” George said.

He accused Steenhuisen of presiding over what he described as an inadequate response to one of the most serious crises facing the agricultural sector.

The Patriotic Alliance (PA) struck a more measured tone. Party spokesperson Steve Motale said the PA hoped whoever succeeds Steenhuisen would be more willing to engage constructively with other parties.

“We are not obsessed with the DA or what it does,” Motale said. “That said, we do hope that the DA’s next leader will have the courage to engage with the PA openly, honestly and fairly, in the interests of the country. That would be a welcome change.”

Steenhuisen is expected to remain DA leader until the party’s elective conference in April, where his successor will be chosen.

karabo.ngoepe@inl.co.za