‘My election will end strife in DA’

John Steenhuisen, who is tipped to be announced as the DA’s new leader today, says his election will mark the end of divisions and factional battles in the party.

Steenhuisen, who was in a fierce leadership contest with KwaZulu-Natal MPL Mbali Ntuli this weekend, also rejected suggestions the DA would return to its white roots and liberal conservatism should he be elected.

In an interview, Steenhuisen, who has been interim DA leader since the departure last year of Mmusi Maimane — and the frontrunner to replace him full-time — also asserted that the party that governs the Western Cape has healed from its divisions.

The DA has been plagued by deep divisions among its top leaders over several policy issues, including its stance on the issue of race and black economic empowerment.

The divisions deepened with the return of Helen Zille as the party’s federal council chair last year, which culminated in the departures of Maimane, former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba and most recently former Gauteng leader John Moodey.

But Steenhuisen has insisted that this weekend’s digital electoral conference meant that the DA “turbulence” was over.

“I believe that a lot of work has gone into bringing the party together around agreed policy issues which have caused disagreement in the past.

“Now that we have settled many of these issues, I believe that the party will come together after congress and focus on the future opportunities available to the DA,” said the man who served as chief whip under Maimane.

Turning to suggestions that his possible election meant the DA was returning to liberal conservatism and the alienation of black leaders, Steenhuisen said this was not backed up by facts.

“No. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We are the most diverse and inclusive party in South Africa that is fighting for the issues that matter to people.”

He said yesterday that his priority for the DA would be to prepare a solid campaign for next year’s local government elections.

“The first priority has to be to turn the party’s focus towards the voters and the election in 2021. We will have finally ended a period of self-reflection after setting important policy and leadership choices.

“It is critical that we turn this energy towards those that need us the most, and that is the 30-million South Africans who live [on] under R992 per month. This must be a singular focus every single day,” he said.

Ntuli suffered several blows yesterday when some of her proposed changes to the DA constitution were rejected by the conference. This included her proposal that the DA create a deputy leader position, and that the chief whip be removed from its national management committee.

But constitutional amendments sponsored by Steenhuisen and his supporters, such as increasing the number of deputy federal council chairs from two to three, were adopted.

Zille faced a challenge at the conference from Gauteng DA chair Mike Moriarty but was a firm favourite to retain her position.