Steenhuisen says he stands by his comments that EFF should be kept out of power
The remarks on Thursday prompted the EFF to call on the National Assembly to condemn Steenhuisen’s utterances, saying it sounded as if Steenhuisen was putting out an international hit on its leader, Julius Malema.
South African Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen speaks during a meeting with US President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on 21 May 2025. Picture: Jim WATSON/AFP
CAPE TOWN - Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said he stands by everything he said during government’s official visit to the White House last week, including that the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) should be kept out of power.
The remarks on Thursday prompted the EFF to call on the National Assembly to condemn Steenhuisen’s utterances, saying it sounded as if Steenhuisen was putting out an international hit on its leader, Julius Malema.
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As the spat denigrated to below the belt comments, Steenhuisen hit back, saying the EFF’s poor electoral performance in 2024’s polls indicated that the party is removing itself from the country’s political landscape.
The EFF’s Thapelo Mogale has slammed President Cyril Ramaphosa for not calling out Steenhuisen on his comments made about the EFF during their meeting with President Donald Trump.
Steenhuisen was responding to a video played in the Oval Office of Malema chanting the struggle song, ‘Kill the Boer’.
“His words are tantamount to calling on an international inkabi to eliminate political competition.”
But in response, Steenhuisen repeated last week’s remarks in Parliament that the EFF should not be allowed to reach the seat of power, calling it a party of chaos and corruption.
“I stand absolutely 100% by everything I said in the White House. That door must remain shut, and it must remain shut permanently. We don’t need to call on foreign governments to get rid of the EFF, they are doing that all on their own.”
The EFF’s Sihle Lonzi then took a potshot at Steenhuisen’s romantic past, but Steenhuisen was unmoved.
“I’ve learnt in politics long enough that the only people who worry about what goes on in other people’s bedrooms, have nothing going on in their own.”
The EFF said the United States has a history of interfering in the elections of foreign nations and Steenhuisen has opened the door to the same in South Africa.