Born in 1976, John Steenhuisen was elected Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) at the DA Federal Congress on 1 November 2020.
John previously assumed the role of interim Federal Leader from November 2019, having served as the Chief Whip of the Official Opposition from May 2014 to October 2019.
John has been a public representative for over 20 years. He has been serving as a member of the National Assembly since July 2011.
Prior to his appointment to the National Assembly, John was involved with the politics of KwaZulu-Natal first being elected as a councillor in Durban at the age of 22 and serving as the Provincial Leader of the DA and the Party’s Caucus Leader in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.