One of South Africa's most prominent politicians has publicly called for his party rival to lose his government job. Geordin Hill-Lewis, mayor of Cape Town, wants John Steenhuisen removed as agriculture minister. The clash matters because it reveals serious cracks in the Democratic Alliance, a major opposition party that now shares power with the ruling ANC.

Steenhuisen led the Democratic Alliance for six years. In April, he announced he would step down from that leadership role. According to The Africa Report, the transition has been complicated by the influence of Helen Zille, a party founder, over who replaces him. Now Hill-Lewis's public attack — reported by the BBC in June 2026 — brings that internal fight into the open. It also affects the Government of National Unity, the power-sharing deal between the DA and ANC that was created after the 2024 election.

Why This Matters Beyond Party Politics

When political parties share government, each one negotiates for the jobs (cabinet positions) that matter most to them. When a senior party member publicly attacks another member's job performance, it is not just a disagreement. It signals who holds real power in that party and whether the coalition will stay stable.

The Democratic Alliance is now juggling three difficult things at once: choosing a new leader, working with the ANC in government, and managing a public dispute between two of its most powerful figures. That combination puts stress on the party's public image and sends a signal to the ANC about whether the DA can hold itself together.

The agriculture ministry is not a minor post. South Africa's farms are struggling with power cuts, broken ports and railways, and a government debate over whether farms can be taken without full payment to owners — a policy the DA strongly opposes. Hill-Lewis may be criticizing Steenhuisen's actual job performance, or he may be using the job as a weapon in the leadership race. Either way, it draws attention to real problems in the farming sector.

The Fight for Control

When Steenhuisen steps down from party leadership, the Democratic Alliance will pick a new leader. That is a bigger deal than it sounds. Steenhuisen became leader in 2020 and made a major choice: whether the DA should share government with the ANC. Not everyone in the party agreed. Some people think working with the ANC is betrayal; others think it is the only way the DA can improve government from the inside.

Zille, a party founder, has been quietly influential in shaping who might be next leader. She has not publicly named her choice, but her power within the party is clear. So is her belief that the DA should cooperate with the ANC.

Hill-Lewis has his own power base. As mayor of Cape Town, he runs a city; that gives him real political credibility in South Africa, where most people are frustrated with government failure. His public attack on Steenhuisen could be part of a plan to position himself before the leadership race starts officially. Or it could simply be genuine frustration with Steenhuisen's performance. Either way, the result is the same: the Democratic Alliance's internal disputes are now on display in government itself.

Steenhuisen was supposed to step down from party leadership in April. That has either happened or been delayed. A change to the agriculture ministry would require agreement from the ANC and approval from President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has the power to hire and fire ministers. The DA cannot simply remove Steenhuisen on its own.

What Hill-Lewis's action does — whether or not it succeeds — is force the Democratic Alliance to face hard questions. What role does the party want in government? Who should lead it next? And how much internal fighting can it afford before the coalition falls apart?