Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen on Wednesday announced that he will not seek re-election for a third term at the party’s upcoming Federal Congress.

Speaking in his hometown of Durban, he said he was handing over the reins to a "fundamentally healthier party than the one I inherited".

Steenhuisen said "it is mission accomplished for me".

He will continue to serve as Agriculture Minister in the Government of National Unit (GNU).

He views the agriculture ministry as a full-time job, citing the urgent need to address the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.

“For the rest of this term of office, I will focus all my time and energy as Minister of Agriculture on defeating the most devastating foot-and-mouth disease outbreak our country has ever seen, and to pursue mass vaccination to ensure that this is the last mass outbreak of FMD our country ever sees,” he stated.

He argued that it would be unfair to South Africa's farmers for him to split his time between battling the worst FMD outbreak, while also running an internal campaign for the next three months and then leading a local government election campaign.

Meanwhile, Steenhuisen attributed growth in the party to his leadership, stating that the party he inherited in 2019 was “in crisis”.

“In the long story of the DA and its predecessors, dating back at least to 1959, there is only one leadership era that will ever be remembered for marshalling our party across the Rubicon, into national government,” he stated.

He reminisced that in April 2023, following his re-election as federal leader, he announced that the DA was ready to take this "Moonshot".

“That we were going to shed our image as a party that only shouted at others from the comfort of the side-lines, and mature into a party that gets stuck in to fix the country we all love,” he said.

Steenhuisen highlighted that after the African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority for the first time since 1994, and after the emergence of Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto we Sizwe Party, the DA was spurred on in its mission, resulting in the DA successfully negotiating the formation of the GNU with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

He noted that DA members were sworn in as Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Deputy Speaker, chairpersons and Portfolio Committee chairs in the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces, as well as MECs and Deputy Speaker in KwaZulu-Natal – in addition to retaining outright control of the Western Cape.

“…this outcome, which included the Democratic Alliance’s ascension to national power, constituted the single greatest achievement in the history of our party.

“Against all the odds, a party that once languished at 1.7% of the national vote, that was subsequently seen as little more than a regional party and regarded as too arrogant and oppositional to play any national role, now carried the hopes and dreams of our 3.5-million voters into national government for the first time ever,” he pointed out.

Steenhuisen noted that the GNU had more than doubled economic growth during its first calendar year in office, noting major contributions he claimed were made by the party through its victory against a proposed VAT increase last year, in favour of deeper and faster economic reform.

“South Africa recently got its first credit rating upgrade in 20 years, and we have been removed from the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list. Growth projections are improving across the board, and unemployment has started to tick down.

“Of course, we have much more to do, but there is no doubt that South Africa’s economy is on the up, after more than a decade of rapid decline,” he said.

He attributed some of the economic success to the DA at municipal, provincial and national levels, citing the success of DA Ministers in various ministerial portfolios.

Steenhuisen said he has opened major agricultural export markets in the last 18 months.

He pointed out that systemic reform was underway at Home Affairs, where a “department that was once synonymous with failure is rapidly becoming a world leader in efficiency and secure digital service delivery”.

He pointed to reform in the Department of Basic Education, led by Minister Siviwe Gwarube, as well as digital investment through the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, under Solly Malatsi.

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, led by Dean Macpherson, is driving a construction boom across the country’s economy, he said.

Steenhuisen said Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Willie Aucamp is now working to unlock sustainable economic growth for rural and fishing communities, while rebuilding the Kruger National Park following devastating floods.

He expressed satisfaction at how the DA was increasingly seen as a “political home for all the people of South Africa”.

He said at the start of his leadership term, many commentators underestimated his commitment to ensuring that the party broadened its appeal beyond its traditional base.

“…but the Moonshot that catapulted the DA into the GNU was predicated on my commitment to reshape this party into one that transcends the boundaries of race, ethnicity and class to serve all the people of our beautiful country.

“I believe the key reason why the DA is now polling at historically high levels, and winning by-elections in areas where it traditionally struggled, is because the party’s work in the GNU has proven that we care about all South Africans, from all backgrounds,” he explained.

The DA extended its gratitude to Steenhuisen for six years of leadership as federal leader, noting that during this time the DA strengthened its institutional stability and electoral performance, and achieved a historic breakthrough by entering national government, “a long-standing objective pursued by successive generations of DA leaders”.

He assured that he will give his support to the next DA leader.

"For the true test of whether you love a thing, is the ability to let it go when the time is right. I have loved leading the DA, which is why today I let it go with a smile on my face, and triumphant peace in my heart. The DA I inherited was reading its own obituary, in a country that was in rapid decline. The DA I leave behind, co-governs a country that is firmly on the up," Steenhuisen said.

DA national spokesperson Jan de Villiers said this achievement fundamentally reshaped South Africa’s political landscape and stood as a testament to Steenhuisen’s “vision, perseverance, and commitment” to building a viable alternative to the ANC.

“His leadership in initiating the Moonshot Pact laid the groundwork for the Government of National Unity and a new era of cooperative governance. John also oversaw the DA’s electoral growth in the 2021 and 2024 elections, expanding the party’s support base and reinforcing its role as the leading opposition and reform force in South African politics,” he said.