Steenhuisen hits back: DA leader sets record straight on career, finances, and cabinet reshuffles

DA leader and Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen answers RW Johnson’s blistering personal attack, sets the record straight on his career and finances, explains recent cabinet reshuffles, and outlines how he plans to steady both the party and the farming sector during the foot-and-mouth crisis..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here. .Watch here.Listen here.BizNews Reporter.John Steenhuisen did not ask for a right of reply interview, after a blistering column by political commentator and former Oxford Don RW Johnson, the DA leader and Agriculture Minister decided it was time to respond publicly.Speaking to BizNews editor Alec Hogg, Steenhuisen delivered a direct defence of his record, his background, and his leadership, arguing that modern political debate in South Africa had slid away from substance into caricature.“Criticism is part of the job,” he said calmly. “What’s not acceptable is when disagreement turns into personal distortion.”The controversy erupted after Johnson questioned Steenhuisen’s credentials, financial history and suitability for leadership, using commentary that quickly moved beyond ideology into character attacks. Steenhuisen maintains that much of this criticism relies on outdated stereotypes and incomplete facts.He addressed one of the most persistent claims first: the suggestion that his rise inside the DA came without meaningful professional experience.“I worked my way up through the political ground game,” he said. “That meant organising, mobilising, knocking on doors, and building local support from scratch. That experience matters because it teaches you what ordinary people expect from leaders.”Steenhuisen began as a Durban councillor before steadily moving through provincial and then national party ranks. He rejects the idea that leadership experience only counts if it came from corporate boardrooms or academic institutions.“Politics is also a profession,” he noted. “You learn responsibility under pressure, people management, strategic planning and public accountability.”On the issue of his financial difficulties, Steenhuisen was equally blunt.“I have gone through the same vetting that every cabinet minister goes through,” he said. “My finances have been scrutinised by SARS and the ethics committees. If there was anything untoward, it would not survive that process.”For Steenhuisen, the tone of attacks on him reflect a deeper problem in South African politics. He believes many public debates now elevate personalities over policy while ignoring the real crises confronting the country.“We have load shedding still destabilising the economy,” he said. “Crime paralysing communities. Municipal failure spreading across provinces. Yet too much airtime is spent on tearing down individuals rather than solving national problems.”Now serving as Minister of Agriculture, Steenhuisen says the challenges he faces are concrete and immediate, far removed from media culture wars. The recent resurgence of foot-and-mouth disease has forced urgent coordination between provincial veterinary services, farmers, biosecurity teams, and export markets.“It is the sort of issue where politics cannot help you,” he explained. “There are no slogans. There are only protocols, compliance, enforcement and diplomacy.”South Africa’s agricultural exports remain sensitive to disease outbreaks, and mishandling even small lapses can trigger international bans, destroying billions of rands in trade revenue.“Our job is to protect jobs as much as animals,” he said. “A single export ban can put thousands of workers on the back foot.”Steenhuisen credits the department for responding faster than in previous outbreaks, introducing tighter biosecurity oversight and accelerating movement controls.“Our response this time has been far more coordinated than in earlier years,” he said. “We cannot afford complacency because food security is too important.”Asked about cabinet dynamics inside the Government of National Unity, Steenhuisen painted a picture of cautious cooperation rather than ideological harmony.“Everyone comes with baggage,” he admitted. “But the reality is that coalition government forces maturity. You must negotiate outcomes instead of fighting for historical victories.”While some cabinet reshuffles have attracted controversy, Steenhuisen insists functionality matters more than optics.“No minister is entitled to a seat,” he said. “Performance and trust are the real currencies.”On the future of the DA itself, Steenhuisen rejects narratives that the party has stagnated. While acknowledging electoral setbacks in some metro areas, he says the party remains South Africa’s largest opposition force and continues to govern several provinces and cities effectively.“The DA governs places where lights stay on, finances stabilise and services arrive,” he said. “That record matters, even when reality doesn’t always beat rhetoric online.”He also believes coalition politics will define the country's future despite its frustrations.“There is no perfect coalition,” he said. “There is only compromise, discipline, and accountability.”Returning to Johnson’s commentary, Steenhuisen avoided escalating the personal feud, choosing instead to frame the episode as symptomatic of a media culture that rewards outrage.“Sharp criticism is fine,” he said. “But when personal attacks replace evidence, public trust erodes.”He expressed particular concern that political engagement becomes cynical among young voters.“They watch leaders tearing into each other instead of fixing problems,” he said. “Then politics looks pointless.”Steenhuisen says his focus remains squarely with delivery rather than debate.“I wake up thinking about water permits, veterinary inspections and trade negotiations,” he said. “Not Twitter arguments.”Looking ahead, he argues that South Africa is entering a critical testing phase. Whether the GNU succeeds will not hinge on personalities but on solving practical problems faster than the state has historically done.“If we can get basic governance working again, people will regain hope,” he said. “Hope grows when services work.”Steenhuisen accepts that political leadership invites controversy.“Public leadership is not a popularity contest,” he concluded. “It’s a responsibility. You can’t govern effectively if you spend all your time defending your biography instead of building the future.”For him, the right of reply interview was not an attempt at vindication, but a reminder of priorities.“South Africans deserve leaders focused on outcomes, not scandals,” he said. “That’s where my attention remains.”

Steenhuisen hits back: DA leader sets record straight on career, finances, and cabinet reshuffles

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