COMMENTS OVER COMMENTS
John Steenhuisen’s ‘roadkill joke’ ignites war of words and debate about his leadership among DA loyalists
The leader of the Democratic Alliance brushed off his controversial comments against his ex-wife three weeks ago, but the controversy continues.
The DA Women’s Network may be forgiving of their leader John Steenhuisen for his ‘roadkill’ comment, but the debate and controversy continue two weeks later.
Writing about the DA’s leadership problems, historian RW Johnson wrote described them as ‘obvious’.
In a Politicsweb column, he wrote: “I realised that I couldn’t vote for a man who behaves so despicably and then refuses even to apologise. The last thing I want is to have such a person representing me.”
Johnson added, “I can’t vote for a list headed by [John] Steenhuisen though I’d happily vote for the DA’s provincial list. I’m not interested in giving my national vote to another party, though I’d give it to Steenhuisen’s ex-wife if I could.”
Johnson, a longtime party supporter with ties to previous reiterations of the DA, such as the Progressives and Democratic Party, called for Steenhuisen to quit as party leader.
But what did Steenhuisen actually say?
Johnson’s statement is the latest in an uproar over Steenhuisen’s comments on the controversial Podcast and Chill podcast. Steenhuisen was asked what he understood roadkill to be, and replied: “It sounds a lot like my ex-wife.”
The comment left gender activists fuming. Steenhuisen, however, 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.”
Read in Daily Maverick: ‘Roadkill’ rage: Steenhuisen says his remark was just a ‘bad joke’, but activists accuse him of ‘misogyny’ and ‘hypocrisy’
Johnson stated: “It wasn’t a joke at all but an ugly insult at the expense of a woman in no position to defend herself. Steenhuisen showed no concern for how his children would feel about hearing their mother thus held up to public scorn and ridicule. Or how his former parents-in-law would feel about seeing their daughter so despicably mistreated.”
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The party has not issued any formal apologies or comments for Steenhuisen’s remarks — including its DA Women’s Network (Dawn).
However, Dawn’s Gauteng chair Stefanie Ueckermann was forgiving of Steenhuisen. Defending him, she said: “If you are standing about any braai where the men are talking and women are constantly objecting to how men talk to us, then we will never get that foot in the door, because we want to be seen as equal so that we can compete with men,”
Ueckermann was named ‘Mampara of the Week’ by the Sunday Times.
In response to Johnson’s column, former DA chief whip and former ambassador to Thailand Douglas Gibson said Johnson, like Steenhuisen, sometimes said “silly things”. He added that Steenhuisen was “doing his best to promote our country” and create a better future for all South Africans.
“Surely, it is time to back Steenhuisen and the DA as the best hope of South Africa for the rejection and replacement of the looting, the bad policies, and hopelessly poor government by President Ramaphosa’s band of incompetents?”.
Johnson responded on Thursday evening to Gibson by saying that in his view, “a gentleman should never make rude and unpleasant (and public) remarks about a lady who is unable to answer back”. A gentleman, Johnson argued should never do so in the case of someone he was married to and had children with.
Johnson said he found such behaviour despicable “and if I am to be a gentleman I have to stand up against such behaviour”.
Johnson added: “so I made it clear that I will not vote for an electoral list headed by John Steenhuisen. I did not call for others to do the same. In a democracy, I have the perfect right to make my own choices about such things and make no apology for that.”
‘For go, he clearly must’
In his original piece, Johnson said the DA had summarily got rid of former leader Mmusi Maimane and may have to get rid of Steenhuisen equally quickly, “for go, he clearly must”.
On Thursday, the DA confirmed it was working on a rebuttal to Johnson’s piece, but Steenhuisen’s Chief of Staff Ryan Smith told Daily Maverick there would be a congress next year where elected members of the party would decide who leads it. Smith said DA leaders could elect leaders during elections, “not commentators on Politicsweb”.
“We don’t take to heart the views of opinionistas such as RW Johnson. I would hardly regard him as a credible or reliable political commentator,” said Smith. “Ultimately, it is the delegates of the DA’s federal congress who decide who leads the party, and not commentators on Politicsweb. I would also add that John Steenhuisen was elected with an 80% majority in the previous congress in spite of Mr Johnson’s uninformed predictions,” said Smith. DM
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“John Steenhuisen’s ‘roadkill joke’ ignites war of words and debate about his leadership among DA loyalists”
I expected better from the Daily Maverick than such clickbait titles. If this title was on honest it would be “DA Loyalist Upset Over “Bad” Joke”.
Most of us who live in the real world know this was a bad joke at absolute worst, and pretty much no-one is “debating” this issue. If they were it would have the same kind of traction that the “racist” poster did.
And I will stand by what I’ve always said, I may not like the joke, but people are free to laugh at whatever they please. I grew up in a home with domestic violence and while I may find jokes about them in poor taste (I don’t always to be blunt), I can also understand why others would laugh at jokes on the subject. That’s up to them to decide, the same way it’s up to me to decide whether I think they’re in poor taste or not.
Sounds like a storm in a teacup.
Agreed
Johnson is a well respected man but this is not the time to let Steenhuisen’s Ill
Considered remarks get out of context or proportion !!
The Woke Brigade at it’s pathetic best. I am not a John Steenhuisen fan and believe the DA does itself no favours being led by a white male thereby enforcing the ‘white party’ label, but to find headlines in his pathetically bad taste ‘joke’ does DM no credit.
RW Johnson would hardly, by any stretch of the imagination, be regarded as woke.
Yup let’s focus on a bad joke instead of the collapse of absolutely everything the ANC touched.
Is a loyalist likely to switch parties over it? Nooooo…. there is no party for DAites to switch to.
A dumb and thoughtless comment. Personally, Steenhuisen should apologies publicly to his ex wife and then move on. We all make mistakes. To withhold an apology despite some saying this is out of context, shows arrogance and disrespect. Don’t act like most ANC members and forever deny the wrongdoing. Make amends and move on.
Agree.
Agree
Steenhuisen’s comment was in extremely bad taste and reveals a very unattractive trait, mean-ness and then the refusal to apologize, arrogance. But it raises a more imporrant question: we have had an extremely corrupt and incompetent government for years, and yet they have been unable to make much political hay. They refuse to ask themselves that hard question. First the unpleasant Helen Zille, then kicking Mmusi Maimane out – he had charm and brains and empathy. The DA underestimates charm and EQ. To me, and I’m right in their demographic, they seem an entitled and smug crowd who just happen to be right on many issues. Power reveals and I’m not sure what it would reveal with them. A bossy know-all attitude? Very possibly.
Politics in SouthAfrica ( or in fact the world) is no longer a “ gentlemanly game” it’s an ugly, dark dishonest one. This can only be played by those prepared to compromise on decency. As a result, we no longer expect honesty, fair play, apologies or decency from our politicians.
True. A global phenomenon. And not a reserved game for just the gentlemen.
Can all the people throwing a frothy about this honestly say they have never said the first thing that has come to mind and that it was distasteful and that they regretted saying it. This happens to all of us and it is being human. Unfortunately, this happened in a public forum. This was not a pleasant thing to about his ex-wife, but is there ever good between couples who break up. Hopefully, he will find it in himself to apologise to his ex-wife and none of us have to know about it.
The worst aspect of this so-called joke is that John Steenhuisen is the only person, probably on the whole planet, who thought it was even vaguely funny. And he clearly thought it was thigh-slappingly, tear-inducingly, bend-over-holding-your-ribs downright hysterical. Which tells you all you need to know about the depth, breadth, and dare I say it, girth of his intellect.
Ha ha ha – good point!
What happened to sticks and stones ……….
Out of all the savage thuggery and violence we South Africans experience, such a song and dance is made of words that have the potential to hurt some people’s feelings.
Witch hunt perhaps?