DA Leader Steenhuisen Steps Down to Fight Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak

John Steenhuisen, leader of South Africa's Democratic Alliance and the country's agriculture minister, announced Wednesday in Durban that he will not seek a third term as party leader, opting instead to devote his full attention to combating a severe outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease affecting the nation's livestock.

Steenhuisen, who has headed the DA since 2019, described the decision as a culmination of his leadership goals. In a media briefing, he highlighted the party's entry into the Government of National Unity following the 2024 national elections, where the African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since 1994. "A little over a year later, on the 3rd of July 2024, the DA achieved our moonshot," Steenhuisen said, referring to his initiative to transform the party from an opposition force into a governing partner. This shift, he noted, positioned the DA to influence national policy and address long-standing challenges in a coalition environment.

The DA, South Africa's second-largest party, praised Steenhuisen's six-year tenure in a statement, crediting him with strengthening institutional stability and securing electoral advances. The...