John Matisonn: Hill-Lewis’ first big test – he hasn’t passed it yet

Newly-minted DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis’ painful decision to fire – well, demote – his close friend and immediate predecessor, John Steenhuisen, puts him at the centre of his first real political crisis as leader. .By John Matisonn.To say there is a lot at stake is an understatement. The country is looking for a new direction. The next few months will tell whether he is ready to provide it. One thing has become clear: the DA is not. I say this believing I have been the strongest praise-singer of the DA among unaligned journalists, beginning when Helen Zille threw her hat in the ring for Johannesburg mayor almost exactly a year ago. To Johannesburg audiences last year I faced severe scepticism. “You western Capers are dreaming. We know the reality. She can’t get elected mayor. And anyway, Jo’burg can’t be fixed.” I have seen nothing to change my mind about Zille’s campaign. Admittedly viewed from afar, it has seemed flawless – especially in the two new forms of media currently most effective – short social media clips that go viral, and long-form interviews where you have to offer enough to keep an audience watching. She is tackling the real issues dragging the city down systematically.While many commentators have offered Hill-Lewis advice I thought naïve, in these columns I have also praised Hill-Lewis’ election as leader, the new, under 40 technocratically-trained leadership combination around him and his decision to stay mayor of Cape Town until 2029. I have no trouble with the racial mix in the DA leadership for now.But Hill-Lewis has yet to prove himself nationally. There are rumblings against the DA that Hill-Lewis would be most unwise to ignore.Today they came to a head when he announced his request to president Cyril Ramaphosa to remove Steenhuisen, though unsurprisingly Hill-Lewis’ confirming statement was silent on the reason.Two incidents were in the news at the time. First, Steenhuisen has desperately alienated farmers during a devastating national foot and mouth disease outbreak by refusing to allow them a role in speeding up vaccinations at the same time that his department was unable to move quickly.What even DA supporters could not understand was why the party of the free market and small government would block farmers from vaccinating their cattle, which would in any event be done under strict regulatory supervision. The second incident was related. Steenhuisen’s chief of staff, Jana le Roux, was reported telling Gernie Botha, CEO of Free State Agriculture “We’ll f--- you up in court”, and sending colleagues a comment that the idea of farmers playing a bigger role was “amusing.”This was Steenhuisen’s second lapse in judgement in hiring a chief of staff. His first, Roman Cabanac, was hired and fired in short order as reports circulated of earlier comments about blacks, homosexuals and even an accusation of anti-Semitism.The DA has an historic opportunity to change the trajectory of South Africa. But Steenhuisen isn’t the only Minister alienating the sector over which he or she presides. The problem of ministers put into sectors they do not understand leaves them prey to corrupt and incompetent officials who keep them off balance. Yet in sector after sector, there are complaints that the DA ministers do not take advice, and make mistakes they were warned about. It’s often described as arrogance, though it’s just as likely they are being stretched too thin. But South Africa is full of competent people in every sector who have better answers but can’t find anyone who will listen..Read more:.Steenhuisen has the FMD blueprint, he just refuses to follow it — Andrew Morphew .It’s not too late. That old cliché about the Chinese symbol for crisis combining both danger and opportunity applies here. Hill-Lewis’ task is far grander than anything his predecessors faced.He has much to navigate to get there. I still think he can do it..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 every morning on 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.

John Matisonn: Hill-Lewis’ first big test – he hasn’t passed it yet

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