WATCH | Steenhuisen: It’s mission accomplished for me

DA leader John Steenhuisen has announced he will not seek re-election when the party meets to elect new leaders in April. Steenhuisen made the announcement during a much-anticipated media briefing in Durban on Wednesday. “I today announce I will not seek re-election for a third term as DA federal leader at the party’s upcoming federal congress.” He was flanked by home affairs minister Leon Schreiber, Umngeni mayor Chris Pappas, minister of public works Dean Macpherson, KwaZulu-Natal finance MEC Francois Rodgers and deputy finance minister Ashor Sarupen.

Steenhuisen, who ushered the party into government, said he would remain in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet. “For the rest of this term of office, I will focus all my time and energy as minister of agriculture on defeating the most devastating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak our country has ever seen and on pursuing mass vaccination to ensure this is the last mass outbreak of FMD our country sees,” he said. Steenhuisen was selected as DA interim leader after Mmusi Maimane’s exit in 2019 following the national elections, which saw the party decline in support.

He ran for party leader a year later, defeating Mbali Ntuli. He was re-elected for a second term in 2023. After the elections, Steenhuisen’s party entered into a government of national unity with the ANC and eight other parties.

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“I’m proud we were able to work collaboratively to put this government together,” he said. The decision to enter into government saw the DA receiving positive reviews, with polling suggesting the party was within reach of becoming the largest party by defeating the ANC. Steenhuisen praised his leadership during Wednesday’s media briefing, arguing the party was seen as desolate and described in the political landscape as little more than a regional party and then a party regarded as too arrogant and oppositional to play any national role.

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