Steenhuisen faces growing pressure within the DA, with analysts debating leadership stability, party unity and consequences for the GNU.
Will DA leader John Steenhuisen’s address to members of the media today “concerning matters of national importance and public interest” include the news that he will be stepping aside as party leader by not standing for re-election at its April congress?
Steenhuisen warned against speculation, posting a picture of President Harry Truman with a copy of the erroneous “Dewey defeats Truman” headline.
“Until you see me outlining the full set of facts tomorrow, avoid speculation,” he said.
Attention turns to Steenhuisen’s future as DA leader
He was expected to run against Western Cape premier Alan Winde, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi for leadership of the party.
Steenhuisen has been in the spotlight after DA MP Dion George last month quit the party with a public rebuke of the party’s leaders and executives.
ALSO READ: Is John Steenhuisen about to exit DA leadership race?
Citing a failure of the DA’s role in the government of national unity (GNU) and alleged maladministration over financial irregularities involving Steenhuisen, George said the situation had become “intolerable”.
“I cannot remain in a party that has, through the actions of its current leader, Steenhuisen, been captured by the ANC and other criminal interests.
“The result of this capture is that the DA has been completely muzzled. [It has] lost its voice and its ability to lead in South Africa’s interests,” George said.
Pivot from defence to delivery metrics
Political analyst Rene Oosthuizen said Steenhuisen would pivot from defence to delivery metrics at his announcement.
“It will be a high-stakes internal accountability theatre performance by the DA, aimed at putting to bed speculation around leadership and internal party fractures.”
ALSO READ: DA members have beef with Steenhuisen over foot-and-mouth disease
Senior political lecturer at NorthWest University Benjamin Rapanyane said the writing was on the wall.
“He would have been pushed out of the party if he tried to contest. I blame George.”
Rapanyane said it may impact the DA’s following to some extent.
Impact the DA’s following
“The people who still believe in Steenhuisen and his dream would step back and observe how the next leader conducts himself in line with the fundamentals of the DA. It may shake the political party; although not that much as long as the old guard, such as Helen Zille, are still there.”
The Red Meat Action Group’s (RAG) Jaco De Villiers said RAG’s message in July 2024 was spot-on.
ALSO READ: Can John Steenhuisen weather the foot-and-mouth disease storm?
“Steenhuisen’s resignation as leader of the DA, not as minister of agriculture, shows the immense pressure on him. But then we have to ask: doesn’t his party’s ideology clash with agriculture?
“Agriculture is not a Cabinet message to farmers, it is a farmer’s message to Cabinet,” he said.
Political analyst Piet Croucamp said there was definitely a shake-up within the DA.
Shake-up within the DA
“The question is whether he will resign as minister as well. Rumour has it Zille is behind it and realises the consequences of his being unpopular in the run-up to the election’s mismanagement of funds.”
The party can’t afford that in the run-up to the elections and it weakens the party as a partner in the GNU, Croucamp said.
ALSO READ: Foot-and-mouth ‘a national threat’
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said while the body stood outside party politics, its members voted for different parties and had good cooperation with both DA and Freedom Front Plus council members.
“However, AfriForum must speak out when leaders of any party begin to act directly against the interests of our members.”
Steenhuisen increasingly sided with the ANC on education’s Bela Act and racial transformation, Kriel said.
“His action to centralise, in ANC style, the fight against foot-and-mouth disease in a failing state was the last straw.”
Ernst van Zyl, AfriForum spokesperson, said there were many lessons from history.
ALSO READ: Foot-and-mouth disease: Cattle vaccine plan is ‘crisis, not disease control’
“Don’t invade Russia in winter. Never start a land war in Asia. Don’t alienate the Afrikaners if you are the leader of the DA.”
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