How rift between John Steenhuisen and Dion George escalated into resignation

How rift between John Steenhuisen and Dion George escalated into resignation Zandile.Khumalo Fri, 01/16/2026 - 05:55 JOHANNESBURG - The resignation of Dion George from the Democratic Alliance, while unexpected, follows months of brewing tension between him and the party leader, John Steenhuisen. Days after the DA’s Federal Executive instructed George and Steenhuisen to stop their public exchanges, George quit the party, bringing his 31-year tenure within the party to a bitter end. The rise of Dion George s career in DA George joined the party in 1995 and was in 2005 elected chairman of the branch in Sandown, Sandton.After the 2006 municipal elections, he served the City of Johannesburg as a PR councillor on various committees, including Housing, Finance, Economic Development and Municipal Accounts.From 2008 to 2015, he was a member of Parliament and served as shadow minister of Finance, whip in the National Assembly and trustee of the Political Office Bearers’ Pension Fund. He resumed his private sector career in finance in 2015.In 2023, George was elected to serve yet another term as federal finance chairperson.He was appointed as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment from 3 July 2024 after the DA entered the government of national unity.But soon this position would be snatched from him by his successor. George axed and a cabinet shake-upThe rift in the DA’s internal divisions started to show in November when Steenhuisen requested that George be removed as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. He was replaced by the party’s national spokesperson, Willem Abraham Stephanus Aucamp.Addressing the speculation surrounding George’s removal, Steenhuisen said the departure was not due to external pressure and interests.Following his removal, George said he was forced to publicly defend himself, after which the DA issued him with a gag order on 24 November 2025.“This did not apply to others, such as Willie Aucamp and John Steenhuisen, who both continued to attack me without any response or support from the party,” George said.But tensions between the two leaders had already been simmering months earlier. Steenhuisen s personal financial vulnerability leaves the DA with a leader who cannot challenge the ANC in the GNU, who is willing to throw countless loyal hard working DA leaders like me to the wolves when they stand up for DA members and South Africa’s interests and who cannot… pic.twitter.com/71cBZdpI7I— eNCA (@eNCA) January 15, 2026 Credit card controversy George confiscated the party’s credit card from Steenhuisen in March after flagging irregularitiesThese would later be revealed as claims by George that Steenhuisen allegedly spent on Uber Eats, fancy hotel stays and car rentalsGeorge says he submitted a comprehensive complaint to the Public Protector setting out how Steenhuisen abused his position. He further claimed that criminal interest in his removal. “In that leadership role, I did not bow, bend or blink under the pressure of the ANC, illicit wildlife traffickers or the criminal captive lion industry in particular. “To cover up the actual reason for my removal, a smear campaign was attempted, and when it failed, the reason became my refusal to take on the role of Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), although I was never formally offered the DTIC role, he says.Tension between Steenhuisen and George gets uglierGeorge has admitted that his relationship with DA leader was at a point of deterioration.“We had not been buddies, but we were close and supportive of one another,”When Aucamp took up office, weeks in, he lodged a formal complaint with the Public Protector against George, his former adviser, Shelton Mollentze, and personal assistant Traverse le Goff.Aucamp accused George and the former staff members of launching a politically motivated investigation that he says falsely linked him to the lion breeding industry.George, in turn, asked the Public Protector to probe Aucamp for allegedly failing to disclose commercial interests and conflicts of interest. The final breakGeorge s breaking point came after the DA Federal Legal Commission (FLC) cleared Steenhuisen of misappropriating party funds. George dismissed the FLC’s findings. He maintains that the report ignored the clear misuse of party funds. In the exclusive interview, George explained how the credit card expenses could not be reconciled.“The only way a full reconciliation could occur, as claimed by the DA Federal Legal Commission (FLC), is by subsequently cooking the books, George says.George says he did his job without fear, favour or prejudice, but I discovered that was not what Steenhuisen wanted.

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