Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen will not seek re-election, focusing on a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak as the coalition party prepares for polls.
DURBAN: The leader of South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA), John Steenhuisen, announced he will not seek re-election in April’s party leadership contest. His decision marks a significant shift for the second-largest party in the country’s ruling coalition government.
Steenhuisen, who is also the agriculture minister, stated he will focus entirely on combating a severe foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. “After leading the DA into the GNU, my next chapter must be to eradicate this devastating disease from our shores once and for all,” the 49-year-old said.
The move is widely seen as an effort to stabilise the party ahead of crucial local government elections later this year. The pro-business DA has faced internal controversies recently over Steenhuisen’s leadership.
These included his handling of the animal disease crisis and the firing of the environment minister in November. South Africa launched a 10-year vaccination drive for 20 million cattle in January to tackle what Steenhuisen called the “worst ever” outbreak.
First elected as DA leader in 2019, Steenhuisen led the party into a national unity government coalition in 2024. The DA joined the 10-party coalition after the African National Congress lost its 30-year parliamentary majority.
The ANC was forced to seek partners following the 2024 national elections amid accusations of incompetent and corrupt governance. The DA now claims to be polling at historically high levels as it seeks to win over voters disillusioned with the ANC.
The party currently runs the Western Cape province and its capital, Cape Town. These are considered among the better-managed municipalities in South Africa.
