STEENHUISEN ABANDONS THIRD-TERM AMBITION

Wed 04 February 2026:

John Steenhuisen has forsaken his bid to contest in the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) upcoming leadership race. He confirmed the news in a press conference on Wednesday.

Steenhuisen took the reins from Mmusi Maimane after the party took a blow in the 2019 general election. He took credit for increasing its vote share from 21% to 22% in 2024, and for steering it from the opposition benches in Parliament to the steps of the Union Buildings.

“It has been the honour of a lifetime to lead the party on top of the union steps. For three elective conferences, we have done some great things. I told you that we would land our moonshot and keep out the doomsday coalition. And today, I simply say, ‘mission accomplished’.”

He will retain his Cabinet post as minister of agriculture, where he intends to focus his energy on addressing the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) presently assaulting farmers nationwide.

“After leading the DA into the GNU, my next chapter must be to eradicate this devastating disease from our shores once and for all. That is not a part-time job,” he said.

“It would not be fair to the incredible farmers of South Africa for me to split my time between battling the worst FMD outbreak ever on the one hand, while also running an internal campaign for the next three months and then leading a local government election campaign, on the other hand.”

With Steenhuisen out of the race before it even begins, the path is open for a new crop of candidates. Geordin Hill-Lewis, Solly Malatsi and Siviwe Gwarube have been named as potential successors in recent months.