John Steenhuisen was elected leader of the Democratic Alliance for a second term at the party’s elective congress yesterday.
He defeated contender Mpho Phalatse, the former DA mayor of Johannesburg.
News24 reports that the announcement of Steenhuisen’s victory was met with resounding applause and chants of ‘John! John! John!’.
Similarly rapturous applause reportedly met confirmation of Helen Zille’s remaining chairperson of the party’s federal council. The position was uncontested.
In other key results, Ivan Meyer was elected for another term as federal chairperson, veteran Cape Town councillor J P Smith was elected first deputy federal chairperson, DA MP and spokesperson Solly Malatsi was elected second deputy federal chairperson, and Western Cape MEC Anton Bredell as third deputy federal chairperson is Anton Bredell.
In an address to delegates before the election, Steenhuisen said that if the DA wished to be effective and relevant, it should learn to pick issues by the impact they’d have on the lives of ordinary South Africans, according to News24.
He said members of the party had proved that ‘we are in the ring, fighting for the zero-rating of food products, fighting for fuel levies to be cut, fighting for dignity for poor and hungry South Africans’.
According to BusinessLIVE, Steenhuisen said that the DA’s growth, governance and economic policy track record positioned it as the only credible alternative to the ANC.
He was quoted as saying: ‘The ANC’s decline is terminal, and it’s just a matter now of how fast. If this decline in support can be accelerated up until the election, and then held there as they roll out their squeeze campaign, we will see the end of the ANC in 2024.’