South Africa: the first opposition party re-elects John Steenhuisen as leader

John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance, on December 13, 2022 at the Parliament of South Africa in Cape Town. REUTERS - ESA ALEXANDER

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1 min

The Democratic Alliance re-elected John Steenhuisen with 84% of the vote, compared to only 16% for Mpho Phalatase, known for being the first black woman to lead Johannesburg. He will campaign for the 2024 general election.

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With our correspondent in Johannesburg,Romain Chanson

The new leadership of the Democratic Alliance has an air of déjà vu. John, Steenhuisen, re-elected leader of the party, is thus rewarded for having straightened out the Democratic Alliance, as he says: "We have been working since 2019 on the first phase of this project: stabilizing and repairing the party to return to the path to victory. I can say today that it is a success.

Often referred to as a party of whites that leaves little room for diversity, the Democratic Alliance preferred to choose stability. And too bad if the new leadership of the party still does not reflect the diversity of its delegates. The Democratic Alliance will not shake off its image as a party for white voters. It's not a question of colour, but of talent, defends Patricia Van Der Ross, delegate from Cape Town. "It's up to people to run. The more volunteers, the more choices we will have. Today, we voted a very important resolution to stop focusing on skin color, and simply focus on South Africans," she said.

The people, before the party, is the counter-model that the Democratic Alliance defends against its rival, the ANC. It was up to John Steenhuisen to convince that his party was interested in all South Africans and not in a minority.

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