Outgoing DA leader John Steenhuisen held a press conference on Wednesday announcing his intention to exit the party’s leadership race to focus on his role as minister of agriculture and concentrate on defeating the devastating foot-and-mouth outbreak.
Here is what you need to know:
- Steenhuisen said he delivered everything he had promised his party when he was elected in 2019 and also said his leadership in the DA masterminded the demise of the ANC (which failed to garner even 50% in the previous national elections).
- Steenhuisen heaped praise on President Cyril Ramaphosa for forming the government of national unity and ensuring the Jacob Zuma-led MK Party did not see the echelons of power.
- Among some of the allegations believed to have led to Steenhuisen not seeking a third term as party leader is his public spat with former environment, forestry and fisheries minister Dion George, whom he also fired from the party.
- The DA will host its elective conference in April, and Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has been touted as a possible successor.
Steenhuisen’s political career dates back to the 1990s when, at the age of 22, he was elected councillor in what is now known as the eThekwini metro. He scaled the regional ranks until 2010, when he was hit by controversy after allegations he was having an affair with a party member.
He made a spectacular comeback in 2011 when he was elected parliamentary chief whip.
Sowetan
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