'I loved leading the DA': Steenhuisen bows out, calls tenure ‘mission accomplished’
Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen has announced he will not seek a third term at the party’s federal congress in April, saying his leadership mission is complete.
Image: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Newspapers
John Steenhuisen has described his tenure as leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) as a “mission accomplished,” announcing that he will not seek re-election at the party’s federal congress in April.
Steenhuisen made the announcement during a media briefing on Wednesday, confirming that he is withdrawing from the DA’s leadership contest, but will remain in his role as Minister of Agriculture.
His decision follows reports earlier this week that he was expected to step aside ahead of the party’s elective congress.
“It is a mission accomplished for me,” Steenhuisen said. “I have delivered everything that I promised my party when I was first elected as federal leader back in 2019.”
He said he assumed leadership at a time when internal polling placed the DA at just 16%, amid widespread media speculation about the party’s decline.
“I proudly picked up the banner of the DA when the media had declared the ‘death of the DA’,” he said.
Built on what he described as a simple message - that “there was nothing wrong with the DA that couldn’t be fixed by what is right with the DA” - Steenhuisen said his leadership helped revive the party and take it to “new heights”.
He said earlier chapters of the DA’s history were defined by becoming the official opposition and forming a provincial government in the Western Cape, while his tenure would be remembered for leading the party into national government.
“My term will be remembered for leading the DA into national government and putting South Africa on a new path to prosperity,” he said.
Steenhuisen stressed that his departure from the leadership contest does not signal an end to his involvement in the party.
“This is not the end of the road for the DA, or for myself,” he said. “There is an important next mission that beckons for the party.”
That mission, he said, would be for the next DA leader to build on the party’s participation in the government of national unity (GNU) and position the DA to become the country’s largest political party, capable of leading future coalition governments at all levels.
Steenhuisen said his own focus must now shift fully to his role as agriculture minister, particularly in addressing what he described as the most severe foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak South Africa has ever experienced.
“For the rest of this term of office, I will focus all my time and energy on defeating the most devastating foot-and-mouth disease outbreak our country has ever seen,” he said, adding that mass vaccination efforts were essential to ensuring it is the last such outbreak.
“That is not a part-time job,” he said.
Steenhuisen said it would be unfair to farmers for him to divide his attention between managing the FMD crisis and running an internal leadership campaign, followed by a local government election campaign.
“It has been the honour of a lifetime to lead our party to the top of the Union Buildings,” he said, thanking party representatives, staff and activists for their support over three elective congresses.
“I told you we would land our Moonshot and keep out the Doomsday Coalition. And today, I simply say: mission accomplished.”
Speaking from Durban, where he began his political career 27 years ago, Steenhuisen formally confirmed that he would not seek a third term as DA federal leader.
He said he leaves behind a party in a far stronger position than when he took office.
“Instead of 16%, the DA is now consistently polling at 30% and is within striking distance of becoming the biggest political party in South Africa,” he said.
He pledged his full support to the next elected leader and said he would give them the space to lead as they see fit.
“For the true test of whether you love a thing is the ability to let it go when the time is right,” Steenhuisen said. “I let it go with a smile on my face and triumphant peace in my heart.”
Steenhuisen’s announcement comes after weeks of internal controversy within the DA, including a public fallout with former minister of environment, forestry and fisheries Dion George.
George resigned from both the DA and Parliament, accusing Steenhuisen of poor leadership and alleging that the party had become “captured” by criminal interests.
In an interview with eNCA, George described his position within the party as “intolerable” and said he had formally cancelled his DA membership.
“I am being pushed out, and it is no longer feasible for me to remain in the party,” George said.
He also accused Steenhuisen of using his leadership position for personal financial gain, claiming that financial vulnerabilities influenced his decisions - allegations Steenhuisen has not publicly responded to.
George further criticised the DA for supporting ANC-backed budgets under the GNU, arguing that the party was compromising South Africa’s interests for political convenience.
Despite previously indicating his availability for re-election just a month ago, Steenhuisen said he is confident he leaves the DA in a healthier state.
“The DA I inherited was reading its own obituary, in a country that was in rapid decline,” he said. “The DA I leave behind co-governs a country that is firmly on the up.”
“I love my party, and I love my country,” he said. “I will continue to work every day to ensure the success of both.”
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