DA leader John Steenhuisen to step down after scandal storm

John Steenhuisen has announced he will step down as leader of South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA), after a series of controversies that have shaken the party’s “clean governance” brand and intensified internal debate over its role in government.

The DA entered national government for the first time after South Africa’s 2024 election produced no outright winner, joining the African National Congress (ANC) in a coalition led by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Steenhuisen, 49, took the agriculture portfolio as the DA secured six ministerial posts an arrangement that raised expectations among supporters that the party would show it could govern more effectively than the ANC.

Instead, the report says Steenhuisen has faced mounting pressure from a key constituency: farmers. His handling of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak has drawn sharp criticism, including claims from a farming industry figure that dissenting voices were being sidelined an allegation that cuts against the DA’s long-standing pitch as internally democratic and competent.

The more damaging blow came from a personal finance controversy reported by the Daily Maverick, according to the BBC. The outlet said a default court judgment had been issued against Steenhuisen for unpaid personal credit card debt of nearly 150,000 rand, despite his reported annual salary being far higher. Steenhuisen responded that his personal finances were not the media’s business unless wrongdoing could be shown. But the disclosure prompted wider questions about leadership credibility, the BBC notes particularly for a party that foregrounds accountability.

The political turbulence deepened alongside upheaval inside the DA’s ministerial ranks. The report describes how Steenhuisen was linked to the removal of Environment Minister Dion George (also then the DA’s federal finance chair). While no official reason was given, various accounts tied the change to disputes over conservation policy and wildlife trafficking, with some conservation groups accusing the DA of aligning with wildlife-breeding interests.

Other voices inside the DA contested that version of events, citing under-performance and bullying allegations as reasons for George’s removal. The BBC says the DA also announced a disciplinary inquiry into claims George raised salaries for staff in his ministerial office allegations he denied, describing them as part of a smear campaign.

Before leaving the party, George also alleged that he had confiscated a DA-issued credit card from Steenhuisen after problems reconciling the account, citing spending including food deliveries, car rentals, and hotel accommodation. Steenhuisen denied wrongdoing, and a DA inquiry later cleared him, finding expenditure had been reconciled and that personal expenses had been explained and reimbursed.

Steenhuisen’s decision to step down will trigger a succession contest that could expose deeper fault lines in the party especially around race and coalition strategy. The BBC report notes that race remains a major political division in South Africa, decades after the end of apartheid.

The DA, often perceived as representing racial minorities and attracting significant support among white voters, has struggled for years to broaden its base while holding together a coalition of liberals, centrists, and conservatives.

The story also traces Steenhuisen’s longer political history, including a 2010 scandal that forced him to resign as the DA’s KwaZulu-Natal leader after an extramarital affair followed by a political comeback and eventual rise to party leader in 2019 after Mmusi Maimane’s resignation.

Analysts quoted by the BBC offer competing interpretations of Steenhuisen’s downfall. One argues his record and scandals made him unsuitable for leadership. Another suggests he may be judged nationally as someone who rose above party politics, but criticised internally as a “betrayer” by hardliners who expected the DA to confront the ANC more aggressively from within government.

The coalition itself remains uneasy.

The BBC notes the DA refused to support the government’s proposed budget twice last year, underscoring friction between the partners even as they continue to govern together. In another episode cited, Steenhuisen publicly backed Ramaphosa during a tense Oval Office moment involving then-US President Donald Trump and disputed claims about violence against white farmers.

As the DA heads toward its elective conference in April, the BBC reports that Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is widely seen as a leading contender, though local media speculation suggests he could face a challenge from Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga. The contest is expected to revive arguments over whether the DA should prioritise reassuring its more conservative base or push harder to expand support among Black voters.

For now, Steenhuisen’s exit leaves the DA facing a credibility test: how to present itself as a governing partner while keeping faith with voters who backed it as an opposition alternative and how to do so without deepening the racial and ideological divides that still shape South African politics.

Source: BBC News