John Steenhuisen gains KZN backing for 2026 DA leadership race

Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen appears to have weathered the recent political storm, with his home province of KwaZulu-Natal endorsing his bid to retain the leadership of the party.

Provincial leaders who spoke to The Mercury said leading the DA into government for the very first time in its history is Steenhuisen’s biggest achievement and could be his saviour as he fights to retain the top job. The party is expected to hold an elective conference this year.

Steenhuisen, who had faced accusations emerging from inside the party, is expected to retain the post, and to date, no challenger has emerged.

A senior leader of the DA in KwaZulu-Natal, Dean Macpherson, gave the strongest indication that Steenhuisen could retain his post, pointing out that he had rescued it from dysfunction. He gave Steenhuisen a glowing review of his tenure, stating that under him, the party has gone from strength to strength.

Macpherson, who is the current DA chair in KZN and the minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, will also be looking to come back as the provincial chairperson; the party will elect its leadership in May.

He said the allegations made against Steenhuisen of mishandling party finances should not be taken at face value. Steenhuisen’s accuser, Dion George, resigned from the party recently after making allegations of financial wrongdoing against Steenhuisen and expressed concern about the direction of the DA, alleging that the party had been captured.

Macpherson stated, “The allegations should be seen through the prism of a man who lost his seat in the executive, became bitter, and made unfounded allegations. He had every opportunity; if he so believed in his standing, in his seat in the highest structure of the party, he could have made all those allegations there; he chose not to.

“When people leave parties, they try to burn them to the ground because they did not get what they wanted. I have been a member of the party for 24 years; I have never seen the DA so focused, so stable, and clear in what its objectives are. Anyone who says the DA is captured is ridiculous; it was the DA that voted against the VAT increase.

“And we understood what the consequences of that would be.” He stopped short of endorsing Steenhuisen to retain the leadership of the DA, saying the party was on its knees when he took over the reins.

“I have faith in John, and I believe in his leadership. He picked this party up from its knees in 2019; he has taken us into national government, and no other party leader has, and I think the DA will continue on its mission. John is my leader, our leader; I believe in his leadership and the way he has carried us into government and the way he continues to articulate important positions for the people of this country.” Another senior party leader in the province said while there will never be a uniformity of views in the party, Steenhuisen has done well.

“If you ask me, John has done a fantastic job; he has grown the party, put the party in government, and even in his portfolio as the minister, he has done what no other minister had done in many years, to put together a plan to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease.

At this point, no one has put their hands up to say they will challenge John, and if they do, they will have to make an offer and state why they should be voted for,” he said. Another provincial DA leader described Steenhuisen’s performance as “exceptional”.

“He has led us to both the national and the provincial government; we retained Western Cape. Things might not have gone so well in Gauteng, but all in all, he has done well.” Speaking about his political future, Macpherson said he will make himself available for the contest, saying, “the province will have its congress on May 9, 2026, as determined by the Provincial Executive Committee.

“As the provincial chairperson, I would like to make myself available to continue in the role and build on the success we have seen as the DA, preparing us for the all-important 2026 local government elections, where the DA will be leading a number of municipalities in KZN, as well as retaining uMngeni Municipality with an outright majority.”

Mzamo Billy and Sthembiso Ngema are said to be among the frontrunners for the position of DA provincial leader. Billy is currently an MP and leader of the National Council of Provinces in KwaZulu-Natal, while Ngema is the current deputy leader of the party in the province and a councillor in the eThekwini Municipality.

For more stories from The Mercury, click the link THE MERCURY