Steenhuisen won’t seek reelection as DA head

The leader of South Africa’s Democratic Alliance plans to step down from the position when it holds internal elections in two months, after facing criticism over his leadership of the country’s second-biggest political party. The rand weakened.

John Steenhuisen, who has led the DA since 2019, won’t stand for another term at the party’s elective conference in April, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified as the information isn’t public.

A formal announcement is expected to be made as soon as Wednesday, they said.

Listen/read: Dion George’s resignation exposes growing fault lines inside the DA

His departure would pave the way for Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to stand as party leader.

The rand pared a gain of as much as 1.1% to trade 0.4% stronger at R16.02 per dollar as of 11:30 am in Johannesburg.

Steenhuisen, who also serves as South Africa’s agriculture minister, said he’s unable to comment on whether he’ll run for the party leadership position before nominations for the post open on February 24.

The DA leader has faced growing pressure internally to quit amid differences over policy choices within the nation’s coalition government.

Hill-Lewis, 39, said in an interview on Monday that he would “very seriously” consider running if Steenhuisen didn’t stand, but wouldn’t join the national cabinet.

Read:
Hill-Lewis’s brotherly advice from Cape Town to Joburg
Geordin Hill-Lewis hits back at Sapoa tariff court challenge

He’s previously said he’ll support the DA’s continued participation in the so-called government of national unity, though the terms of engagement would have to be improved upon.

Hill-Lewis is considered a rising star within the DA, and some of its members and backers have been lobbying for him to take over as leader.

That campaign gained momentum after Steenhuisen became embroiled in a public spat with the party’s finance chief and was implicated in misusing a credit card – although an internal probe cleared him of wrongdoing.

Steenhuisen, 49, has also faced criticism from the DA’s key constituents, including farmers who are unhappy with his handling of a deadly outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that has resulted higher meat prices.

Read:
SA to import vaccines to tackle foot-and-mouth disease
Farmers head to court as foot-and-mouth disease crisis deepens

He’s also had to implement a policy that gives preference to parties with black economic empowerment credentials when securing export permits to the European Union.

Read: Western Cape municipalities and Midvaal are the only ones in any kind of shape

The DA has governed Cape Town since 2006, and Hill-Lewis was appointed as mayor in 2021, the youngest-ever appointee to the post. The city, a tourist mecca, is widely viewed as the best-run of the country’s eight large metropolitan areas.

© 2026 Bloomberg

Follow Moneyweb’s in-depth finance and business news on WhatsApp here.