From gin in tin cups to threats of chopping off their own pinkies, opinionistas weigh in from left, right, and centre.
It’s a hell of a thing, politics. Leaders have become symbols of a brand, shaped by popular opinion in the target market you hope to attract. It is iconography in human form, battling to stay afloat in a sea of propaganda, hustle, and reading the room. Podcasters chipped in on the legacy and performance of John Steenhuisen, who announced at a press conference earlier this month that he would not stand for re-election as DA leader.
“It was a brilliant political move” on behalf of the DA, said Nicholas Lorimer from the Daily Friend Show, podast of South Africa’s leading liberal opinion site. “It was quite cold-hearted, but it speaks to the institutional strength of the party.”
He spoke to John Endres, IRR CEO, who said, “The press conference was well done. It put a positive spin on it.” They commented that removing a leader who doubled the party’s support to a historic ±30%, effectively breaking the ANC’s grip on absolute power, demonstrated a ruthlessness that was evidence of shrewd political maneuvering. Endres wondered whether Geordin Hill-Lewis as successor might result in a more or less stable GNU.
With a completely opposing view, Dan Corder from the ‘Three Beanies Network’ described John’s press conference as a “jaw-droppingly mad speech. Corder is associated with progressive views, a focus on accountability in politics, and contrarian views. “The speech was fact-free, self-aggrandised, and filled with total historical delusions. It was as if the ANC leadership was speaking to the media.” He quoted Mbali Ntuli’s media statements. She said that the move to remove Steenhuisen was “not strategy, but desperation.” The fact that Geordin Hill-Lewis is touted to be juggling a mayoral position and party leadership at the same time was not “a leadership pipeline, but a warning sign” of a party with poor structural succession plans and growth opportunities. “The level of delulu is not the solulu in this instance,” said Corder.
From the right of centre on the Truth Report, Gareth Cliff suggested that a solution to the DA becoming too closely aligned to the ANC might be a bigger conservative party. “The VF is too small,” to be effective as official opposition, he remarked. He was interviewing former DA members turned podcast hosts, including Byron Shepherd, who gave his own insider’s view of how these things play out. The ‘podcast bro’s’ of which Shepherd is a part have a personal bone to pick with Steenhuisen about how he fired their fellow podbro Roman Cabanac. Shepherd also shed some light on how the sponsors and funders of the DA put pressure on leadership, and how it might have affected John’s decision to withdraw support from Cabanac, as well as its softness on the expropriation issue, BEE and the BELA Act. They read the exit of John as a sign, not so much as punishment for the handling of the foot and mouth issue, but rather that the party is losing the Afrikaner vote, a group which did not warm to Steenhuisen at all. On the other hand, Geordin Hill-Lewis is a likeable character and can speak Afrikaans. Renaldo Gouws said he’d cut off both pinkie fingers if Hill-Lewis didn’t succeed Steenhuisen, despite the drama of uncertainty being created around the upcoming DA Federal Conference. “What are their options?” asked Cliff. What indeed? Although some public pinkie-chopping would be a popular podcast-viewing experience.
I like John.
Politics is a dirty game, and he played it on its terms. I wonder whether, if more people saw the type of engagement he had on Mac G’s platform, he would have exited with the fat memes less prominently in memory. He was, after all, the leader during the ‘moonshot pact’ that resulted in the final crack in the ANC’s armour.
He explained the concept to Mac G and co-host Sol Phenduka over some gin in tin cups on a studio set that looked like a shack, specifically for the witbaas’s appearance. Podcast and Chill is the biggest podcast in the country by far, with 1.7m subscribers. John was comfortable. He looked great, relatable, and vote-worthy.
Mac G said he suggested to his followers (almost exclusively black) that they should consider voting for the DA for once. “The country is going to shit, why not give someone else a chance?” he told his followers. He said the backlash was unbelievable. His fanbase accused him of ‘political delinquency’ and ‘illiteracy’.
Mac G laughs at this, but it is a credibility gap the DA simply cannot shake, despite John explaining that the DA is effective and multiracial. “Our top 6 is representative across gender and race. The ANC is all black, the VF all white.”
The mic drop moment came when Sol asked John about his second marriage and why the first one fell apart. John said it was due to infidelity. Sol asked how John found out his wife was cheating. In a surprising twist, John replied: “It wasn’t her, it was me. I confessed it almost immediately.”
Mac G started laughing so hard, he got up from his desk and folded double. “That is so white! You white ous are built different! You never admit it! Never! Who does that?”
“I told her I had fallen in love with someone else. That person is now my wife.” John said that was the way he was, and that, unlike Nixon, he really could not tell a lie. Certainly not something we’d hear an ANC minister claim.
Dear John, you want to be remembered as someone who got out of bed every morning and worked hard to make South Africa a better place for all who live in it. I see that, but for some, your dubious marriage choice to the ANC might have lost you a few points. Go well, buddy, and thank you for your service.
Podcast Report survey: in which I ask random people the same questions I ask the experts
I walked with two of the homeless people living in the greenbelt in my area to gauge their level of awareness and interest in the upcoming elections.
They move from place to place, building shelters in the bushes and trees, carrying black Woolworths bags full of stuff, a few buckets which serve as basins, and a stompie behind their ears. Front teeth were few, but opinions plenty.
“Ons is van die kolonie, so dit is DA all the way!” (We are from the colony, so it will be DA all the way) said the lady. The man said he was sad to see John Steenhuisen kicked out. The woman said she trusted Geordin Hill-Lewis.
I asked what they want from Hill-Lewis if he is the new DA leader.
“Vir ons van die Buiteland, ons wil binneland toe kom. Ons wil behuising hê.” (To us as outsiders, from the foreign country, we want to be insiders. We want safe housing.)
The views of the writer are not necessarily the views of the Daily Friend or the IRR.
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