White politician ready to take power faces obstacle in South Africa

Nine months ago, John Steenhuisen, who leads South Africa’s second-largest political party, the Democratic Alliance, appeared before news cameras and signed an agreement not to work with the ruling party since for a long time, the African National Congress.

“So help me, God,” Mr. Steenhuisen said, raising his right hand and laughing.

But when the African National Congress failed to secure a governing majority in last week’s elections and on Thursday called on its political opponents to join forces in a government of national unity, Mr. Steenhuisen positioned himself leading the pack of political leaders seeking to work with the party he had renounced.

He and the Democratic Alliance engaged in the most significant political negotiations in South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994 and drafted a document outlining their basic principles for joining a government with the African National Congress, or ANC.

The ruling party’s fall – with just 40 per cent of the vote, ending three decades of dominance – has left Mr Steenhuisen, 48, on the brink of his political dreams. As leader of the second-placed party, with almost 22 percent of the vote, Mr Steenhuisen appears likely to play a leading role in the next government, political analysts say.

But even as he rises, Mr Steenhuisen must navigate the third tricky hurdle in South African society: race.

Mr Steenhuisen is white and his party’s national leadership is predominantly white. In a country that is 80% black, many still view him and his center-right party, favored by many in big business and the private sector, as defenders of white interests. Political analysts attribute this partly to the unresolved trauma of apartheid, but also to the Democratic Alliance’s sometimes careless and clumsy handling of racial issues.

“There are perceptions,” Mr. Steenhuisen said in an interview last year. “One of them is, ‘Oh, the DA is going to bring back apartheid.’ I think there is still a trust deficit around race.

Mr. Steenhuisen charted a steep path to power, with charm and a quick wit, but also an optimism that some say teeters between arrogance. He started at the age of 22 as an ambitious city council member in the country’s third-largest city and rose to the top job in the Democratic Alliance, which grew out of an anti-apartheid party led by white South Africans.

The Democratic Alliance, as it is known today, was created in 2000 by the merger of several parties. At that time, it was already the country’s second largest party, partly because it had attracted white voters after the dissolution of the National Party, which led the apartheid government.

Over the years, the Democratic Alliance has successfully courted the country’s racial minorities – white, Indian or colored people, a multiracial classification. The party also expanded its base among black voters, particularly those who believed that the ANC’s efforts to eliminate racial disparities had failed to empower black South Africans.

Today, the Democratic Alliance’s main selling point is reduced corruption and better financial management in cities and in the one province, the Western Cape, that it governs.

Some within the ANC vehemently oppose the inclusion of the Democratic Alliance in a governing coalition, saying the party opposes efforts to eliminate racial disparities that persist since apartheid, including in matters of wealth, land ownership and employment. Opponents also accuse the Democratic Alliance of peddling racism.

Some ANC members have even launched a petition to end a coalition with Mr Steenhuisen’s party, challenging his opposition to laws supporting affirmative action, universal healthcare and land redistribution. They also posted an image of a seven-year-old tweet by one of the Democratic Alliance’s top leaders, Helen Zille, which attempted to put a positive spin on colonialism.

“For those who claim that the legacy of colonialism was ONLY negative, consider our independent judiciary, transportation infrastructure, running water, etc. “, wrote Ms. Zille.

Mr Steenhuisen took control of the Democratic Alliance five years ago, replacing its first black leader, Mmusi Maimane, with whom he had worked as chief opposition whip in Parliament. Mr Maimane’s resignation after the Democratic Alliance’s disappointing election results in 2019, as well as the departures of several other prominent black members before and after him, fueled the narrative of a party hostile to black people.

In a revealing memoir published this year, Mr Maimane accused Mr Steenhuisen of thwarting his efforts to transform the party into one that could attract more black voters.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Steenhuisen declined to comment and said he was not available for an interview.

Mr Steenhuisen said in last year’s interview that he believed “race plays a role” in South African society. But he disagreed with the ANC on how to tackle racial disparities.

He said adopting a color-blind approach to tackling poverty would ultimately improve the situation for black South Africans. The ruling party’s approach to racial redress has mostly helped politically connected black elites, he said.

Mr Steenhuisen’s party has proposed abandoning affirmative action policies, promoting greater private sector involvement in public services like electricity, increasing some social benefits and reducing taxes on some products food.

But it is worth noting that the principles set out by the Democratic Alliance for its negotiations with the ANC did not include an end to racial preference programs.

Critics say the Democratic Alliance is effectively playing on race to gain support, even if sometimes as a dog whistle.

Last year, during a protest against an ANC-backed law requiring some employers to meet racial quotas in hiring, the Democratic Alliance bused township residents of color to march in the Cape Town city centre.

“Black people are getting work, and our mixed-race people aren’t getting work,” said Renée Ferris, who attended the protest and said she was looking for work as a housekeeper.

Mr Steenhuisen, who grew up in the coastal city of Durban, said financial difficulties prevented him from completing his studies.

He joined his hometown council in 1999 and was soon volunteering to visit sites to inspect the town’s infrastructure or hand out leaflets at weekend rugby matches, Gillian said Noyce, who served alongside him.

At age 30, Mr. Steenhuisen became the leader of the Democratic Alliance caucus on the city council, leading more senior lawmakers. Three years later he led the party in KwaZulu-Natal province, and two years later he was elected to the national Parliament.

He cultivated relationships with colleagues and constituents, and several of his critics and defenders said he had a distinct ability to read a room. He threw Christmas parties at his house and hosted after-work drinks every week, Ms. Noyce recalled.

But in 2010 it became public that Mr Steenhuisen was cheating on his wife of 10 years with a party spokeswoman, who was married to another party member. Mr Steenhuisen resigned as party leader in KwaZulu Natal province. He is now married to the woman he had an affair with. In a country accustomed to political scandals, this episode did not prevent the rise of Mr. Steenhuisen.

He fought bruising battles within the party, building a reputation as someone who brooked no dissent, former members said.

Three days after last week’s elections, Mr Steenhuisen was in a Zoom meeting with the leaders of several smaller parties who also signed pledges last year not to work with the ANC. Some of them reprimanded the Democratic Alliance over reports that it was failing to meet its commitments. commitment to the pact, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by The New York Times.

It seemed to Mr. Steenhuisen’s critics that as he approached power, he and his party were prepared to abandon the principles he had advocated.

“No one will trust them in the future,” the leader of a small party said of the Democratic Alliance.

“With respect, you speak without authority about the DA and what it will or will not do,” retorted Mr. Steenhuisen. “You must understand this very, very clearly.”

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