In a recent analysis in Daily Maverick (22 November, 2022), Rebecca Davis argues that the “… DA’s one-man leadership race isn’t a good sign for the party”. I disagree.

While it is too early to tell whether or not John Steenhuisen will face a contest at the DA’s upcoming congress, there is growing consensus within the party that he has earned the trust for a second term because he has refocused the DA on the issues that matter to South Africans, steered the party towards policy clarity and fostered increased internal stability.

It may seem like a distant memory to many that John emerged as the interim leader and was subsequently elected party leader at a make-or-break moment for the DA.

The party had suffered a painful setback in the 2019 national elections as well as the sudden abdications of the former party leader and federal chairperson after an investigation had concluded that weak leadership was the primary cause of the DA’s decline.

Internally the party was a jumble of conflicts, contradictions and tensions exemplified by a series of public squabbles between senior party leaders based on factional battles.

All these factors together meant that, at one point, the party was polling as low as 16%. 

John’s critics prematurely wrote him off from day one. Their criticism intensified when the DA lost a series of by-elections shortly after his election. Yet there were signs that the party was gradually on the path to stability from the moment he was elected interim leader. 

Stabilising a political party is an arduous process that must be done with due care. For John, the essential ingredient was to marshal the party towards policy coherence on the basis of its values. The DA’s “blue wobbly jelly” days were a thing of the past.

The most decisive step in this quest was to reinstate our Federal Policy Unit (FPU) with the reappointment of Gwen Ngwenya as Head of Policy. The FPU’s immediate mandate was to convene a policy conference that settled much of the policy dithering identified by the review panel led by Tony Leon as another major cause of our electoral decline.

The adoption of the DA’s Economic Justice Policy, which officially abandoned race as a proxy for disadvantage, set out our approach to economic redress by prioritising redress for the disadvantaged, not for politically connected elites. The build-up to the adoption of the basket of policies adopted saw unprecedented and extensive consultation throughout the party that led to this important milestone.  

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It was John who led the call for the party to seek external consultation policy inputs which led to our publishing the draft policy documents for public input: a first for the party. The widespread participation and adoption of these policies was an endorsement of John’s vision for the party.  

From the onset of his tenure, John promised to steer the DA by the lodestar of its foundational values. An illustration of this is the support he received when he committed the DA to eschewing negotiations with the Economic Freedom Fighters as a way of gaining or maintaining power in coalition governments.

He turned the party away from the expedience of the past when we had been prepared to do deals with the EFF to attain power in some metro councils – a move that predictably ended in abject failure.  

While remaining committed to establishing the DA as a party of government, he was not prepared to do so by embracing our ideological arch-opponents.  

This was not an easy decision to take or sustain. At every turn, pressure mounted to force the DA into deals with the EFF to hold onto power. 

Yet the Federal Executive, under John’s leadership, remained resolute that the DA does not renege on its commitment to its voters, or on the resolution taken by the Federal Congress to avoid any form of political collaboration with the EFF.  

In Parliament, the DA has applied its parliamentary force to achieve significant breakthroughs for accountability against Cabinet’s dystopian tendencies such as the reversal of the dictatorial lockdown regulations, and more recently the reversal of the amendments to the Ministerial Handbook which would have extended the basket of perks for ministers and their deputies to include free water and electricity. 

Outside Parliament, the DA has been winning the battle of ideas with a series of campaigns ranging from cutting the fuel taxes and campaigning for more staple food items (such as chicken, peanut butter, beef, tinned beans, and wheat flour) to be zero-rated for VAT.  

The insinuation that Davis makes that somehow people are “cowed into compliance” profoundly misinterprets the internal culture of the Democratic Alliance.  

It also infantilises other leaders in the party, implying that they have neither the agency nor the courage to express views that may differ from those of the leadership.

The reality is that under John, the internal environment for robust debate is much more open than in the past. He consults extensively with the Federal Executive and parliamentary caucus on major political developments in the party. He also encourages robust debate as he believes that enriches the quality of decision making.  

As someone who recently returned to serve on the party’s federal structures, I’ve found the internal space for debate refreshingly transparent, robust and stimulating. This does not mean that the leadership of the party always chants in unison. However, once the best idea has won the favour of the majority, the leadership unites behind its decisions. That is the culture John encourages, not slavish obeisance to his views. 

Of course, no leader is perfect. The most successful leaders are those who are aware of their weaknesses and work to address them. 

John has surrounded himself with the most capable, dynamic and diverse team to help him lead. The appointments of Gwen Ngwenya as policy head, Dr Leon Schreiber as parliamentary strategy whip, Bax Nodada as his parliamentary counsellor, Cilliers Brink as my co-national spokesperson and the promotion of Siviwe Gwarube as chief whip, bring together some of the brightest minds in the party. 

None of this should be invisible to media analysts. The signs are there for all to see, if they take the time to assess the DA fairly. 

From the inside, it has been refreshing to be part of a team that is truly focused on issues, driven by principle and in a space that seeks the best ideas.

The results are also increasingly apparent in the polls. In July the Social Research Foundation released its poll on the political landscape in South Africa which found that the DA had overtaken the ANC in voter support in urban areas. This is a watershed for South Africa. Among urban voters, the DA polled 37% while the ANC’s support stood at 34%.  

Having served as the party’s spokesperson under different leaders, I experience directly the growing internal harmony and coherence. I also recognise that this is frustrating for the media. Whereas in the past they were fed twisted versions of DA deliberations through leaks that informed many of their headlines, these days the DA communicates with consistent clarity – from various policy positions to outcomes of internal meetings. 

If John is uncontested, it will be an endorsement of his leadership. If he is contested, it will be a free and fair battle, based on vision and ideas, not extortion or bribery, as is the norm in some other parties.   

From my perspective, I think it is fair to summarise our approach to the upcoming congress in a single sentence: why change something that is working very well? DM