By Sfundo Parakozov
JOHANNESBURG, Feb 4 (Reuters) - South Africa's Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen said on Wednesday that he would not seek re-election as party leader in April, creating some uncertainty for the country's coalition government.
The DA is the second-biggest party after the African National Congress in a coalition that was formed in June 2024 after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of white minority rule in 1994.
Steenhuisen has led the pro-business DA since 2019 and is also the current agriculture minister, a post he said he will now focus on as South Africa faces a worsening foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
Political analyst Ongama Mtimka said that Steenhuisen's dual role as party leader and minister in President Cyril Ramaphosa's cabinet had been helpful for rallying the DA toward collaboration with coalition partners.
With a new leader in place, there could be calls from within the DA to renegotiate some of the terms of the coalition agreement or to pull out, he added.
Although the DA has sparred with the ANC over a number of issues, it is generally considered unlikely that it would pull out of the coalition, which has given it a role in national government for the first time.
Political analysts say Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, another senior DA member, is likely to stand for party leader in April and take over from Steenhuisen.
Steenhuisen has faced allegations that he used a party-issued credit card for personal expenses, although a DA investigation found no evidence that he had misappropriated funds.
"For the rest of this term of office, I will focus all of my time and energy as Minister of Agriculture on defeating the most devastating foot-and-mouth disease outbreak our country has ever seen," he told a press conference.
The DA has roughly 22% of seats in South Africa's lower house of parliament, while the ANC has 41%.
"A closer focus on the foot-and-mouth disease is a right approach," said Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, adding that "many producers will face financial disaster."
(Additional reporting and writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Alexander Winning)
