Much has been said about DA leader John Steenhuisen’s legacy following his announcement this week that he will not seek a third term at the helm. While media reports have zoomed in on his shortcomings, not much has been said about the difficulties of the assignment and how the party will manage them now.
There seems to be general acceptance that charismatic Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is a shoo-in to succeed Steenhuisen when the party meets to elect new leaders in April. Hill-Lewis told his caucus in the metro on Wednesday that he was “seriously considering” throwing his hat in the ring.
“Whatever I decide to do, if I do stand as leader, it is still my clear intention to remain as mayor and to seek re-election shoulder to shoulder with all of you,” he said.
Doing so should meet the approval of those critics who say Steenhuisen, by serving as a cabinet minister answerable to the president, has allowed himself to be co-opted by the ANC.
Such critics suggest having a DA leader who remains outside the cabinet would help the party maintain its independent voice and continue its traditional, effective role as a vociferous critic of the ANC government. Its support base is largely built around this identity.
It would mean that the second-biggest party in the government of national unity has a leader who is excluded from cabinet meetings
But to have a leader who is not part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s executive could create a different set of problems for the DA.
If Hill-Lewis succeeds Steenhuisen but sticks to his post of Cape Town mayor, it would mean that the second-biggest party in the government of national unity has a leader who is excluded from cabinet meetings — which are supposed to be confidential.
A direct comparison to Helen Zille, who led the party while she was Cape Town mayor and later when she was premier of the Western Cape, does not pertain — in her day the DA was the official opposition in parliament, not a partner in a GNU.
On the one hand, a DA leader who was not in the cabinet would have a free hand to proclaim the party’s own views and opinions and be as strident as they liked in criticising GNU policies. On the other hand, they would have no direct input in cabinet discussions and decisions.
Having a leader who is not in the cabinet could also create a “two centres of power” problem for the DA, with the risk of tensions developing between the party boss and their colleagues who are part of the process of making national decisions. This has become evident in the FF+, whose leader Corné Mulder does not sit in the cabinet.
With the mayor of Cape Town as its leader, the DA may have to appoint a separate parliamentary leader, which would create yet another layer of leadership. In recent years, the DA has combined the party leader-parliamentary leader roles in the same person.
Those in the DA who are celebrating Steenhuisen’s decision to bow out as leader might not be able to enjoy the moment very long if Hill-Lewis does take over, and ushers in fresh sources of potential disruption.
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