Mr John Steenhuisen was appointed as Minister of Agriculture from 3 July 2024.
He 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, Mr Steenhuisen was elected as the Caucus Leader of the Official Opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA ), 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.
Mr Steenhuisen represented Durban North in the eThekwini Council for 10 years until the 2009 General Election where he was elected KwaZulu-Natal Member of the Provincial Legislature and Leader of the DA Caucus. He also served as DA KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Leader.
In 2010, he took up a seat in the National Assembly and served as the DA Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
In May 2014, Mr Steenhuisen was appointed Chief Whip of the DA, a position he held until October 2019. In November 2020, he was elected Federal Leader of the DA, having served as Interim Leader since November 2019. Having stabilised the party and re-entrenched policy coherency during his first term, he was re-elected Federal Leader for a second term in April 2023. He serves as the Leader of the Official Opposition in the Parliament of South Africa’s National Assembly.
He 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 and hands-on-approach to building a prosperous nation for all who live in it.
Source: Department of Agriculture