Steenhuisen faces tough re-election battle in the DA amid credit card woes

DA leader John Steenhuisen will face a tough re-election battle next year, and the recent revelations about his financial issues could be used by his detractors to push him out of the party.

That is the view shared by DA members in KwaZulu-Natal as the party gears up for a conference in April next year. A member of the DA expressed shock over the revelation that Steenhuisen had a default credit card judgment against him.

It was reported recently that a default judgment was granted against Steenhuisen in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court in May for unpaid personal credit card debt of almost R150 000.

However, analysts believe the judgment is unlikely to have any serious impact on his standing as a leader. His ability to retain the post will depend on his track record and whether he faces a strong leader standing against him.

A DA member, speaking on condition of anonymity said: “These allegations surfaced a few days ago, so the member shave not had any chance to engage as a group.”

Sources in the party indicated that Steenhuisen still has support within the party, but he also has a large number of detractors.

“There is a lot of unhappiness with him, especially from his colleagues, particularly among people who are upset that they were not considered for positions in the Government of National Unity (GNU).

“Right now, I would say his chances of retaining the leadership are 50/50.“I can say for certain that provinces such as the Western Cape, as well as Gauteng, are unlikely to support him. There is a lot of anger over the GNU positions. In KwaZulu-Natal, he still has considerable support,” said the source.

The source indicated, however, that there is still no clear challenger to Steenhuisen's leadership, and those who are opposed to him are still searching for a possible challenger.

“What is clear, though, is that those opposed to him will use the revelations on financial matters to either force him to walk away on his own or to defeat him during the election.”

Another member said the revelations about the credit card had made a bad situation worse for Steenhuisen.

“He was already going to face a difficult time because there are many people unhappy that they were left out of the GNU. This default judgment has made a bad situation worse and damaged the party in the eyes of the public in that if a leader cannot manage his financial affairs, what about those of the party? He should have stepped aside or the top leadership should have asked him to step aside temporarily,” said the member.

Political analyst Siyabonga Ntombela said the financial matters are personal.

“We are human beings; sometimes we do fall short and are unable to pay our creditors. It would be unfair to use that against him.”

He added that what should be looked at is whether he has performed and improved the image of the party.

“Did he strengthen the party and redeem its image, considering that it has been seen as anti-black due to the firing of several black leaders? That will be one thing you look at.

“Was he not operating under the shadow of Helen Zille, who still has huge support within the party? He can comeback if the powers that be think he has done a good job, but if there is someone standing against him who has a good track record, Steenhuisen might lose.”

Another analyst, Musa Xulu, said Steenhuisen has been very loyal to the DA and has risen through the ranks.

He said his public stature has been boosted by the DA joining the GNU.

“The issue of the default judgment for the R150,000 credit debt may work in two ways. Firstly, it may cast him as someone who is unable to look after his finances, a key factor in political leadership. However, some may see the default judgment as proof that he relies on his salary and is therefore not corrupt, another key and positive attribute in political leadership.”

THE MERCURY