Democratic Alliance Leader John Steenhuisen Steps Down

Wed Feb 04 2026 17:26:04 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

John Steenhuisen announces he will not seek re-election as the leader of South Africa's Democratic Alliance, raising questions about the coalition government’s stability following his tenure marked by controversies.

John Steenhuisen, leader of South Africa's Democratic Alliance (DA), has declared he will not stand for re-election in April. Steenhuisen, who took the helm in 2019, has faced various controversies and challenges during his leadership, including allegations of mismanagement and conflict within the party. His decision may impact the stability of the coalition government formed with the African National Congress after the latter's loss of a parliamentary majority.

South Africa's Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has announced he will not seek re-election as the party's leader in April - a move that may threaten the stability of the coalition government.

The DA, South Africa's second largest party, entered into a historic coalition with its arch rival the African National Congress in 2024 after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority.

Steenhuisen took over the leadership of the pro-business DA in 2019 and currently serves as agriculture minister in President Cyril Ramaphosa's government.

The 49-year-old was widely anticipated to run again but was reportedly compelled to abandon his bid due to a series of controversies.

For the rest of this term of office, I will focus all of my time and energy as minister of agriculture on defeating the most devastating foot-and-mouth disease outbreak our country has ever seen, he told a press conference.

Steenhuisen began his political career at the age of 22 when he was elected to the council of the port city of Durban for the Democratic Party, the DA's predecessor. He rose through the party's local and regional leadership before becoming party leader two decades later.

While it was widely reported that he would run unopposed for the DA leadership at the upcoming conference, various issues led to his decision not to pursue this route, including a fallout with another senior DA member, former Environment Affairs Minister Dion George, and allegations surrounding his use of a party credit card, from which he was cleared earlier in January.

Additionally, he has faced criticism for his handling of the ongoing foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, with farmers labeling his department as an obstacle in a crisis, according to South African news outlet News24.

The country has struggled for the past four years to control the highly infectious foot-and-mouth virus, which has significantly impacted the livestock industry. The outbreak creates blisters inside an animal's mouth and under their hooves, leading to lameness, feeding issues, and reduced dairy yields.