Minister Macpherson praises Steenhuisen's selfless leadership choice

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, who is a close friend and ally of the Democratic Alliance’s Federal Leader, John Steenhuisen, said Steenhuisen chose to put the needs of the country first when he opted out of running for a third term. 

Macpherson, who is also the DA’s provincial chairperson for KwaZulu-Natal, addressed the Cape Town Press Club on Thursday about not only the institutional challenges and governance failures he encountered upon entering the department in July 2024, but also spoke about Steenhuisen’s decision not to seek re-election.

Steenhuisen, who was present in Cape Town for the announcement of the party’s Western Cape mayoral candidates, said: “Many would be aware of my announcement in Durban yesterday that I will not seek a third term as Federal Leader of the Democratic Alliance in April.

“I am stepping aside precisely because I have achieved my goal for the party: to take us into national government and grow our support base.

“I reiterate what I said yesterday: I believe I am handing over a party in much better shape than it was handed to me in 2019,” Steenhuisen said. 

“I am full of hope and confidence in the direction our country is going, as a result of the great strides the DA has made in recent years, at local and national levels.

“But our work is not done. And neither is my own work done,” he said.

Macpherson spent a good portion of his address on Thursday afternoon waxing lyrically about Steenhuisen, saying that he chose to focus his full attention on his responsibilities as minister of Agriculture “at a moment when the country is facing a serious foot-and-mouth disease crisis - one that threatens farmers, jobs, exports, and food security”.

“John helped build a modern opposition party into a national force capable not only of campaigning, but of governing. He led the DA through a period where coalition politics became a permanent feature, and where the idea of entering national government shifted from speculation to reality,” Macpherson said.

“He helped shape what became known as the Moonshot Pact - the belief that like-minded parties could coordinate to change the national trajectory, keep populists out of power, and offer voters a credible alternative. And after the election, he helped steer the DA into national government for the first time, with all the complexity that entails.

“It is also easier to protect your brand by staying outside and criticising. But there comes a moment when the country needs people willing to step into responsibility, even when the terrain is unfamiliar, and the risks are real. That is what John did,” Macpherson said.

When taking questions from reporters, he added: “You know that if John had stood, he would have won again. I think that it takes remarkable political intuition and maturity to know that even though you could win a contest, maybe the party needs someone who can now take it to the next level. 

“I wonder how many political leaders would have made that judgment call,” Macpherson said.

“We have some political leaders who have been in power for 30 years in this country. We have some political leaders who will never face a contest because internal elections are banned in their parties.

“And yet John Steenhuisen knew that he could win an internal election, and chose to rather put the needs of the country first and to say, I think maybe it's time for someone (else) to take us to the next level.

“I don't know that any other political leader would have made that choice, but John did, and I really respect him for that, and I take his reasons for that decision to be true; I have no reason to doubt him at all.

“I know John to be a very honest man. I know him to be a man who loves his party and loves his country. And every decision in his nearly 30-year career has always been based on those two principles: what's good for my party and what's good for my country. So I take his decision at face value,” Macpherson said.

theolin.tembo@inl.co.za