The DA Sets a New Standard for Accountability

By skilfully and diplomatically engineering John Steenhuisen’s exit, rather than denying reality or circling the wagons, the DA showed a willingness to judge leadership by outcomes rather than intent, loyalty, or narrative control. Across democracies today, political failure is more often managed through spin, delay, or scapegoating than through consequence. The DA chose a different path.

This was not a purge or a panic response. It was a controlled exercise in institutional discipline. Serious parties understand that credibility depends on enforcing standards internally, especially once they enter government. In an era where leaders routinely outlast their results, quiet correction matters.

What is more striking in the DA’s case is that their leader had in many respects left his party in a much better position than he found it. He led it from the chaos and diminished campaign of the 2019 election to its second-best-ever results, entry into government, and after that its best-ever poll showings.

Yet there were also failures and these reached the point where the DA believed a leadership adjustment was necessary to protect its credibility in government. The record around execution, trust with key constituencies, and strategic judgement inside the Government of National Unity had begun to weigh on the party’s broader project. Acting early prevented drift from hardening into decay.

This stands in contrast to the prevailing culture within the African National Congress, and indeed many governing parties globally, where failure is insulated by factional protection and appeals to history. Ministers preside over collapse and remain in office. Leaders lose elections and return rebranded. Accountability is postponed indefinitely.

The DA’s action suggests its firm understanding that power sharpens scrutiny. Once a party governs, excuses expire. Voters expect results, not rationalisations. It’s really very good.

Pierneef was one of South Africa's greatest artists, known for his paintings of South African vistas. This column named after him aims to do something similar - sketch the broad vistas of South Africa's domestic landscape.