Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has suggested he would like to remain at the helm of the party ahead of its 2026 elective congress, saying he wants to finish what he started.

Steenhuisen made the comments during the party’s 25th birthday celebration in Hanover Park at the old-age cottages on Tuesday, where he was joined by senior leaders, including DA Western Cape chairperson JP Smith and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

The milestone was marked with a visit to an old-age home in the area, where the party handed out blankets, warm soup, and cake to elderly residents.

“I inherited a party in 2019 from a leader who had walked off the job, leaving the party at 16% in the polls, with many declaring it the death of the DA,” said Steenhuisen.

“We’ve been able to turn the party around. It’s now a party in the national government. I’d like to continue, I’d like to finish what I’ve started.”

He added: “The local government elections would be a very good ending point for a particular leadership career. I’d like to lead the party into the local government elections, and I think the DA’s best days are still ahead of it. What it needs now is strong leadership at the centre.”

Steenhuisen said he would make a formal announcement about his intentions later this year.

On the significance of the party’s birthday, he stated: “It’s our 25th year of existence, and we’ve embarked on a national blanket drive where we will be taking blankets to underprivileged communities, to pensioners, to places where people need a bit of winter warmth. It is our way of saying thank you to the South Africans who’ve supported us, voted for us, and allowed us to be in a position where we can celebrate 25 years.

“We are doing this in a number of areas across the country. Hanover Park was prioritised because we know there are elderly people in this vicinity. We look forward to continuing the drive throughout June, where we will be visiting young people and more elderly residents.”

Beneficiary Moira Raatz said she was grateful for the blankets.

“This showed us that the DA cares about the elderly people. We are happy to have had them as our visitors and the blankets will help because it gets really cold here.”

While the celebrations continued inside the old-age home, a handful of National Coloured Congress (NCC) members protested outside.

One of them said: “The children who are being shot in Mitchells Plain, but the law enforcement is here to protect white people, but when our people call the law enforcement, they will not come to the coloured people.

“What about the coloureds who are killed? The mayor is here handing out blankets, but our girls have no sanitary pads. They stay out of school, but the mayor won’t do anything; he is worried about the blankets.”

Responding to criticism from the NCC members, Steenhuisen said: “You’ve got to be some kind of special failure to come and disrupt a birthday party where people are handing out blankets to underprivileged people. Unlike those who are screaming, the DA is doing something about it.

“Although policing is a national competence, the City of Cape Town has a gang unit and a drug unit, and it is taking the fight directly to the criminals. These areas have one of the worst police-to-population ratios in the world, and that is why at the national level, we’re fighting for greater resources for the South African Police Service (SAPS).

“It’s why we have to grow our economy, so instead of standing outside the gates screaming and shouting at the people who are trying to do something about it, perhaps they could be constructive and get onto the sidelines with us and help us to be able to drive for greater resources.”

He also reflected on the performance of the Government of National Unity (GNU), in which the DA now participates.

“It’s been a tough year of many ups and downs, but I think the GNU has survived the year. Many people thought it wouldn’t last more than a few months. We’ve been battle-tested. The VAT debate, the budget that’s going to be passed this week, the medium-term development plan has been passed, and the fiscal framework has been passed. I think we are on the right track.”

However, he said there was urgency to accelerate growth and tackle economic challenges.

“The GNU needs to accelerate at a rapid speed. Our initiative is to grow the economy; we’ve seen the first quarter of GDP growth this year, but it’s not a good story. We’ve got to do far more, far quicker, to make sure we are stimulating the economy and driving the economic performance required to reduce debt, raise employment, and restore hope.”

He warned that time was short ahead of the next national election.

“The 2029 election is approaching. We’ve got four years left to demonstrate to South Africans why they should choose the builders and not the breakers. We can only do that by proving we’ve grown the economy, created jobs, reduced poverty, and brought down the cost of living, because those are the issues affecting people on the ground.”

Reflecting on the DA’s future, Steenhuisen said: “I think the country has been well served by having the DA around for 25 years, whether in opposition or now in government. It’s a far cry from where we were in 2019. We’ve been able to rebuild, regain, and extend, and that must continue.

“All polling shows the DA is on the path to becoming the largest party in South Africa after the 2029 elections. I’m proud of what our team has achieved, and excited about the next 25 years.”

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za

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