John Steenhuisen elected DA interim leader

17 November 2019 - 14:07 By APHIWE DE KLERK
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
John Steenhuisen is the DA's newly elected interim leader.
John Steenhuisen is the DA's newly elected interim leader.
Image: Ruvan Boshoff

John Steenhuisen has been elected as the interim leader of the DA.

Steenhuisen beat Gauteng MPL Makashule Gana in a hotly-contested race to replace Mmusi Maimane as party leader.

Steenhuisen had been a hot favourite to take over after he was elected unopposed as the DA parliamentary leader last month.

Maimane left the DA in shambles after he resigned from the party following its poor election performance in the national elections in May.

Steenhuisen was elected together with Western Cape agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer who beat his cabinet colleague, Nomafrench Mbombo, and Gauteng MPL Khume Ramulefho for the position of interim federal chair.

The Democratic Alliance elected John Steenhuisen as its new interim leader on November 17 2019. Steenhuisen beat Gauteng MPL Makashule Gana in the race. Here's a look at Steenhuisen's road to the top.

Addressing the media after his win, Steenhuisen, said the DA needed to learn from the outcome of the last election and make the biggest comeback in SA politics.

He said the DA was not fighting over ideology or power.

“Our fight is to push back against the tide of poverty that has engulfed the lives of so many men, women and children in our country,” said Steenhuisen.

This is a developing story.


PODCAST | Race muddies the discussion around competence in SA politics


subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now