DA President John Steenhuisen To Quit As Party President

• The Democratic Alliance's president, John Steenhuisen, is expected to step down from his position and pull out of the leadership race
• Steenhuisen, who led the party into the Government of National Unity, will step down as the party is preparing for its internal elections in 2026
• The party is expected to make a formal announcement soon, as Steenhuisen faced pressure from within the party to resign

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international politics, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his 10 years of experience.

WESTERN CAPE — The president of the Democratic Alliance, John Steenhuisen, will resign as the president of the party. This is the party heading into its internal elections in two months. The DA is expected to announce on 4 February 2026.

According to MoneyWeb, Steenhuisen faced internal pressure to resign following allegations that he made policy choices within the Government of National Unity that opposed the party's policies. It's believed that he could be replaced by Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who is allegedly in the running to be the party's leader.

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John Steenhuisen makes an announcement

Steenhuisen posted a seemingly cryptic tweet on his @jsteenhuisen X account on 3 February. He said that he would be making an announcement of national importance at 10 am. He cautioned people to avoid speculation and wait for him to outline the full set of facts.

Read the tweet on X here:

John Steenhuisen's troubles in the DA

The party's former Member of Parliament and former Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Dion George, accused Steenhuisen of being captured by the African National Congress. George was removed from his position as a minister for alleged poor performance in 2025. He resigned from the party on 15 January 2026. Dion accused Steenhuisen of wanting to remain in the Government of National Unity at the cost of the DA's principles and the country's interests.

The party temporarily cleared Steenhuisen of credit card misuse on 12 January. Despite his being cleared, Steenhuisen will face a disciplinary hearing to determine whether his public fallout with George brought the party into disrepute. The tension between the two emerged after Steenhuisen sacked George. George, in turn, accused Steenhuisen of financial impropriety.

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Eastern Cape farmer blasts John Steenhuisen

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a farmer from the Eastern Cape criticised Steenhuisen and accused him of failing to curb the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. The dairy farmer said that the outbreak could have been controlled if affected communities received vaccines on time. He also said that the Department of Agriculture was an obstacle in the ongoing crisis.

The farmer, Edgar Brotherton, said that continuous delays in distributing the vaccine could result in the destruction of herds, collapsed businesses, and lost livelihoods in the rural areas. He called on the government to allow the private sector to manufacture vaccines and accused the government of not having the capacity to produce them in sufficient quantities.

Source: Briefly News