John Steenhuisen not out of the woods yet

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) Federal Executive (FedEx) is launching a disciplinary inquiry to determine whether party leader John Steenhuisen and/or financial affairs head Dion George violated sections of the DA’s constitution.

This follows Steenhuisen being cleared of impropriety relating to his use of the party credit card for personal purposes, as he has since paid it back.

In a statement by the Chairperson of the DA’s FedEx, Helen Zille, she said that this is relating to bringing the party into disrepute, reflecting negatively on the party, and undermining internal co-operation within the party.

“The Fedex further resolved to require all parties involved to ‘cease and desist’ from publicly discussing or airing disagreements relating to this matter, either themselves or through proxies, until such time as the FLC inquiry is finalised,” said Zille.

“The DA’s constitution provides for the cessation of membership of any party member who violates this warning,” she added.

This comes amid a very public spat between DA leader and Agriculture Minister Steenhuisen, former Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (FFE), and current DA Head of Financial Affairs George, and Willie Aucamp, the current Minister of FFE.

The public spat

It began in November 2025, when Steenhuisen requested President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove George from his ministerial post, citing underperformance and other issues.

This includes later-emerging allegations of staff bullying, excessive international travel, and misconduct. which George has denied.

Steenhuisen successfully pushed for Willie Aucamp, a DA national spokesperson and MP with reported ties to game farming and wildlife ranching, to replace him.

This move drew criticism from George and environmental groups like the NSPCA and WAPFSA, who accused Steenhuisen of favouring pro-hunting or “sustainable use” interests in the captive lion breeding and trophy hunting sectors.

This has become a tit-for-tat cycle of accusations, Public Protector complaints, and media leaks.

George, as DA finance chair, reportedly blocked or restricted Steenhuisen’s access to a party credit card over alleged misuse for personal expenses (e.g., Uber Eats for family, household items).

In retaliation or escalation, anonymous leaks and reports emerged accusing George of misconduct (bullying staff, sexual harassment claims, “apartheid” office practices—though unproven and contested).

Aucamp filed a complaint with the Public Protector in late December 2025, accusing George of abusing state resources and fabricating a whistleblower report to investigate Aucamp’s alleged links to the captive lion industry.

George countered aggressively in early January 2026 with an 84-page affidavit to the Public Protector, alleging Steenhuisen abused his roles as DA leader, GNU negotiator, and Agriculture Minister.

He said that this was to orchestrate George’s removal under false pretences to install Aucamp, who George claims has undisclosed conflicts benefiting from lion breeding/hunting.

George accused Steenhuisen of interfering in departmental mandates and called for probes into Aucamp’s ethics, including CITES decisions on abalone and lion breeding task teams.

Steenhuisen has dismissed George’s claims as “flimsy fabrications” and revenge for removal due to underperformance, while Aucamp denies lion breeding links, admitting only declared game farm interests.

Some analysts argue that it appears tied to pre-2026 DA leadership congress manoeuvring, where Steenhuisen seeks another term.

DA to launch another probe

Newsday reported that the DA had cleared Steenhuisen of impropriety relating to his use of the party credit card for personal use, as he paid it back.

However, Steenhuisen and George are not out of the woods yet.

The Fedex resolved to refer to their legal commission process:

• Allegations regarding the abuse of government resources.

• Public communication following the submission of complaints to the Public Protector.

• The refusal of a former member of George’s ministerial staff to co-operate with the investigation.

• The leaking of internal financial information from the party.

The Fedex requested the commission to pursue all the inquiries on an expedited basis, giving it priority over other pending matters.

“The DA takes all allegations of impropriety against its public representations very seriously,” said Zille. “We will continue to hold all our representatives to account for their conduct in public life.”

⁠Zille said that “the DA is committed to following due process in the handling of internal disciplinary matters and expects party members to respect the outcomes of this preliminary report and further inquiries.”