Steenhuisen says his role as agriculture minister requires his undivided attention.
Questions are being raised about who will succeed John Steenhuisen as the federal leader of the DA following his announcement that he will not run for a third term as party leader.
The party is expected to hold its elective conference in several weeks’ time, but Steenhuisen’s departure has left many South Africans questioning whether the DA has capable leaders who can take over and lead the country’s second biggest party.
The Citizen spoke to Theo Neethling, a political analyst from the University of the Free State (UFS), about the latest developments in the party.
He says there are capable leaders who can take over from Steenhuisen, including Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, DA federal chairperson Ivan Meyer, and Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi.
Other names mentioned include DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga and Western Cape premier Alan Winde.
He said he believes the DA is not in a succession crisis.
“In any case, two terms are long enough, and after two terms it is often healthy for a party to introduce new leadership with fresh and dynamic ideas,” he said.
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Leadership changes in the DA
Steenhuisen’s announcement comes at a time when Helen Zille, the party’s federal council chairperson, is preparing herself to step down from her role in the party and focus on her campaign to become the mayor of Johannesburg.
In many respects, she has been seen as the backbone of the DA, having been in the party for a long time and serving in various roles.
According to Neethling, these changes in the DA could benefit the party ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
“The party is therefore entering a period of transition, and if the DA plays its cards well, this process could position it strongly at both the local and national levels.”
Mbali Ntuli weighs in
One of Steenhuisen’s most notable critics, Mbali Ntuli, slammed his tenure. Ntuli, who is now a former DA member, challenged Steenhuisen for the leadership position at the party’s 2020 conference.
“Almost his entire tenure has been consumed by drama, scandal, alleged internal financial impropriety, and now, arguably, the final blow: the mishandling of the Foot and Mouth outbreak.
“That his leadership style, temperament, and emotional intelligence made him a poor choice to lead the country’s national opposition has been apparent to almost everyone except his own party.
“For that misjudgement, the DA itself must carry responsibility, particularly as it heads into what will be a bruising ten months before the next election,” she said.
Ntuli believes the DA is in a leadership crisis.
“The DA’s bench is alarmingly thin. Competence has too often been subordinated to factional alignment, leaving a vacuum so stark that only one alternative name is floated seriously—not because it is unquestionably the best option, but because there is no real competition.
“That this vacuum has reportedly revived conversations about Helen Zille returning to frontline leadership should concern both party members and the electorate. Zille is nearly 80. Politics is mentally and physically punishing work, and age is not an abstract consideration.
“A party that continues to tether its future to a single individual while failing to plan meaningfully for succession is behaving irresponsibly,” she said.
Ntuli also believes that expecting Hill-Lewis to become party leader and the mayor of Cape Town will be a stretch for him, especially because he did not form part of the negotiations for the government of national unity (GNU).
Steenhuisen’s mission
Meanwhile, at a press briefing in Durban on Wednesday, Steenhuisen described his tenure as party leader as marked by many successes.
“The DA successfully negotiated the formation of the government of national unity with President Cyril Ramaphosa. DA members were sworn in as ministers, deputy ministers, deputy speaker, chairpersons and portfolio committee chairs in the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces, as well as MECs and deputy speaker in KwaZulu-Natal – in addition to retaining outright control of the Western Cape.
“This outcome, which included the DA’s ascension to national power, constituted the single greatest achievement in the history of our party,” he said.
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