TONE-DEAF POLITICS
‘Roadkill’ rage: Steenhuisen says his remark was just a ‘bad joke’, but activists accuse him of ‘misogyny’ and ‘hypocrisy’
While DA leader John Steenhuisen has doubled down on the ‘roadkill’ reference he made about a former partner on a lifestyle podcast last week, gender activists have accused him of being ‘hostile’ and ‘aggressive’.
DA leader John Steenhuisen has tried to deflect criticism of a reference to his ex-wife as “roadkill” by claiming it was a joke and that he was appearing on a lighthearted show. But gender activists say the comparison “even in jest, falls far short of standards of responsible and gender-sensitive political leadership.”
Steenhuisen was a guest on an episode of the well-known Podcast and Chill last week, when host MacGyver “MacG” Mukwevho asked him what he understood roadkill to be. Steenhuisen replied: “It sounds a lot like my ex-wife.”
In the episode released on Thursday, Steenhuisen’s response elicited roars of laughter from MacG and co-host Sol Phenduka. The DA leader did himself no favours by following up with “flat chicken”.
Responding to queries on Sunday, Steenhuisen told Daily Maverick: “I fully understand that the joke may have been in bad taste to some, but it is important to note that the podcast is a lighthearted and comedic take on current affairs and politics in South Africa where politicians are encouraged to show a lighter side of themselves.”
Steenhuisen said he “thoroughly enjoyed” his time on the podcast and felt “that it is vital that we use these platforms to break down barriers and talk to each other as South Africans”.
“I think it is more telling that the South African media have chosen to focus on one bad joke, rather than the hour-long discussion around issues facing young black South Africans, which hundreds of thousands of voters actively engaged with from across the country,” he added.
Daily Maverick understands there is considerable unhappiness among some within the party’s internal structures over Steenhuisen’s comment and his decision to participate in a podcast notorious for misogyny in the first place.
However, Steenhuisen’s chief of staff, Ryan Smith, said that to his knowledge “there have been no complaints laid against [Steenhuisen] following his comment”.
Podcaster MacG has fostered a reputation as a crude interviewer with a notable disregard for women and the LGBTQI+ community, and a line of questioning that has landed many of his guests in hot water.
Other politicians, including EFF leader Julius Malema and ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe, have appeared on the podcast too.
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Steenhuisen’s remark unleashed a tsunami of backlash on social media, after the DA promoted the clip on Twitter.
Amid the outrage, there were also many users who lauded the DA leader for his “candidness”.
🚀 On @MacGUnleashed, it’s @jsteenhuisen like you’ve never seen him before! Grab a drink and join John for some podcast and chill.
Tune in today at 15h00: https://t.co/578tk1PE5u
Danko! pic.twitter.com/phZWyIkXsc
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) August 18, 2022
“As a politician, I am not perfect. I make mistakes, and I may also make bad jokes. I accept that. But what this podcast has shown is that South Africans are clearly desperate to see a more honest, humane and relatable side to our politicians instead of the image that is overly curated by the media and its own agenda,” Steenhuisen told Daily Maverick.
Speaking to Daily Maverick about the politician’s remarks, professor of political science and SARChI Chair in Gender Politics at Stellenbosch University, Amanda Gouws, said: “Roadkill is something that’s dead, right? So maybe he wishes her – the mother of his children – dead. In a country where there is so much violence against women, a comment like this is not funny, it’s misogynistic.”
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Researcher in gender violence at Wits University Lisa Vetten told Daily Maverick that comparing his ex-wife to roadkill “shows a very high degree of hostility”, and “is dehumanising and aggressive”.
“To describe someone who is alive in that way, you could say, carries an undertone of wishing they were dead.”
Labelling his comment as nothing more than a “bad joke”, Steenhuisen therefore “likens misogyny to lightheartedness”, Gouws explained. She added that the comments made by social media users who appear to be laughing at Steenhuisen’s “joke”, “shows us how normalised this type of verbal violences is”.
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The remark – coming from a politician, the leader of the DA – is “such bad taste and so inappropriate and unacceptable” that Gouws believes it is likely that the party has lost some women voters.
Echoing Gouws’s remarks, director of the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children Bernadine Bachar said: “It behoves our political leadership to stand firmly and indisputably against misogyny and the harmful values that underpin the patriarchy. The comparison, even in jest, falls far short of standards of responsible and gender-sensitive political leadership.”
Referring to several examples where Steenhuisen has publicly called out sexism, misogyny and chauvinism, Vetten said his comment makes him a hypocrite.
The DA leader’s remarks come after the party started a petition calling for Bheki Cele’s resignation as police minister, after he stated during an interview on eNCA that a 19-year-old woman was lucky to be raped by one man, while others had been raped by 10 men – referring to the rape of eight women in Krugersdorp.
The DA slammed Cele for not apologising for his comment and President Cyril Ramaphosa for not reprimanding him.
“It is time for the SAPS to be led by a serious and skilled minister – not a clueless, irresponsible misogynist,” the party said.
Co-founder and co-executive director of Sonke Gender Justice Bafana Khumalo said the organisation is “appalled by the insensitive comments” uttered by the leader of the official opposition.
“This coming from a leader who barely a few days ago launched a campaign against the minister of police who himself had uttered unfortunate statements about rape in the aftermath of the gang rape of eight women in Krugersdorp few weeks ago,” said Khumalo.
Khumalo called on Steenhuisen to apologise for his “senseless commentary” and for his party to hold him accountable. DM
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After being alerted to the comment & the ensuing criticism, I went to the podcast & listened to the entire episode. Steenhuisen came across as authentic, informed, knowledgeable and really spontaneous. When asked what he understood by ‘roadkill’, he said said it sounds like his ex & then followed up with ‘flattened chicken’. They all laughed. Yes, it was in very poor taste. BUT it was 2 seconds of an hour-long podcast – much of it really interesting, and backed up by evidence. What did he mean by his bad joke? Did he wish his ex-wife dead? Or did he mean the relationship was dead? I hardly think it was the former – judging by the rest of the hour-long podcast. People should really take the time to listen to the entire podcast. The podcast may be considered irreverent by many who would like to soak all language in 100% alcohol sanitiser before even uttering a word. We take everything literally. The subtle art of irony & satire are lost on the twitter trolls. By the way, I am female. Ive heard many females describe their ex-husbands in far worse terms – and not while drinking gin & tonic & certainly not while they were joking.
“Ive heard many females describe their ex-husbands in far worse terms – and not while drinking gin & tonic & certainly not while they were joking.”
I fully agree to your above comment!
Tell the PC brigade to get a life and to move on instead of concentrating on navel contemplation. Shock horror, a politician shows that he is a human being and can make fun of a situation.
The negative comments come from those who are overthinking the words and ignoring the context. Has the person directly affected said anything ?
Oh for goodness sake my word what a lot of bull. You will go out of your way to defame any remarks made by a DA leader where are you you hypocrites when other political staff disrespected woman and have done it with extreme and deliberate ill intent. So quiet NE! No Gouws as a DA female member they will definitely no LOOSE my vote and many other woman i know. It’s the only party that is doing something to the betterment of EVERYONE.
“Gender Activists” must stop being such snowflakes, ready to pounce on the smallest “perceived” insult. Get a life and accept that all people make remarks in bad taste on occasion
Sounds a bit like a storm in a tea cup…
Compared to what Bheki Cele said, this is a joke. Cele’s comments were absolutely disgusting and not taken out of context. And considering what some of our politicians have done and gotten away with (rape, murder, theft, corruption, philandering…), I don’t see why he is being singled out for being misogynist. Just another excuse for every publicity seeking person/organization to get their slice of airtime.
You forget that he is the leader of the DA – a cardinal sin in the eyes of the blind.
This article is more of joke than Steenhuisen’s reference to roadkill. Seriously, people need to learn to understand context. I grew up in a household with domestic violence and as horrific as it was and can be, I still don’t get my underwear in a twist when someone makes a joke about it.
I’m glad he’s been called out for this. Whatever else he said is irrelevant to the fact that that one remark was misogynistic and he should do better. You don’t get to stand behind your good words and pretend your bad ones didn’t happen or don’t matter. And don’t be a hypocrite; Cele’s remark was poorly considered, much as Steenhiusen’s reply was. Own up to your skewed thoughts and be better.
I don’t think Cele’s comment was poorly considered. You would need a brain to do that. He is a dangerous idiot.
While not crazy for the comment I am far more worried that we are becoming “thought and word” police. For heaven’s sake, let’s all grow up and get a life. As a woman, I will take offence when something is offensive. This is a long way from meeting the criteria. It’s more of an oooh eina silly comment.
In a recent interview, John Cleese’s War on Wokeism, the inimitable Cleese observed “people (are) deliberately waiting for the thrill of being offended.” His dead parrot sketch may equally cause “outrage” in politically correct society.
I saw that interview too. It is great when prominent people call out nonsense for what it is. Cleese’s definition of a Wokeist is exactly on point.
If one extrapolates the idea further it becomes clear what kind of people this mindset infects, and they seem to be all around us these days and most particularly in our universities. The anti-racism brigade can just as easily be described as “waiting in anticipation of being offended by racism (by proxy). So too with the anti-islamophobia brigade and the trans-rights brigade.
The commonality that I see between all of these groups besides their thin skin, their screeching tantrums, and their generally belligerent disposition, is that all seem to suffer from being addicted to their own anger. It seems to be disturbingly similar, if not exactly the same, as the toxic relationship that many couples find themselves in when they constantly fight with each other but yet stay together anyway. A study of this phenomenon found the cause to be an addiction to the dopamine hit that one gets when using snide and spiteful remarks. Over time, the brain becomes addicted to the habit of hateful sniping and it becomes difficult to then find any normal dopamine rewards for doing anything else in life other than fighting with your spouse.
This is above all how I see Wokists: drug addicts high on their own hatred.
“Wokists: drug addicts high on their own hatred.” Love it, must tweet this to Ricky Gervais!
I totally understand that there are those that make it there business to be offended, no problem, but it was a great interview with a party who’s leader has never been accused of rape, stealing tax money (by the billions), spending R2,6m of the poorest of the poors money on a flight to avoid his Marikana massacre aniversary, or its shadow min of finance been charged with “fondling a masseur” suddenly “roadkill” pails into insignificance. Lets all get life.
I really do wonder if DM would have written the same article if this comment would have been uttered by a non DA person.
I was appalled at John Steenhuisen smirking in his famous interview with Gareth Cliff and here he goes again. This isn’t a joke in bad taste, it’s a pattern and we deserve better from our leader of the opposition. Note to the DA: voters register their “complaints” in the ballot box!