Minister John Steenhuisen

John Steenhuisen was born in Durban on 25 March 1976 and attended Northwood School. He showed an interest in politics from a young age, serving as Branch Chairperson for Ward 36 Durban North in his late teens, where he was subsequently elected to the Durban City Council in 1999. At the age of 22, he was one of the youngest councillors in the city’s history.

In 2006 Steenhuisen was elected as the Caucus Leader of the Official Opposition, the Democratic Alliance on the eThekwini Council and served on the City’s Executive Committee. Here, he served on committees responsible for various projects such as the 2010 World Cup preparations, including the Broadway redevelopment in Durban North, the construction of the Moses Mabhida Stadium, and securing blue flag status for many of Durban’s beaches.

Steenhuisen represented Durban North in the eThekwini Council for 10 years until the 2009 General Election where he was elected Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature and Leader of the DA caucus. He also served as Democratic Alliance KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Leader.

In 2010 he took up a seat in the National Assembly and served as the DA Shadow Minister on Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs (COGTA).

In May 2014, Steenhuisen was appointed Chief Whip of the Official Opposition, a position he held until October 2019. In November 2020, John Steenhuisen was elected Federal Leader of the Democratic Alliance, having served as Interim Leader since November 2019. Having stabilised the party and re-entrenched policy coherency during his first term, Steenhuisen was re-elected Federal Leader for a second term in April 2023. Under his stewardship, the Democratic Alliance grew in the 2024 General Election where it is now the second largest party in South Africa’s Government of National Unity where Steenhuisen serves as the National Minister of Agriculture.

John is a proud East Coaster and AmaZulu fan. He is married to Terry Steenhuisen and has three beautiful daughters, Ashleigh, Caroline, and Olivia. He is passionate about South Africa and optimistic about its future and believes in a pragmatic, hands-on-approach to building a prosperous nation for all who live in it.