Maimane says ‘Judas Steenhuisen’ should stop mentioning his name

Former and current leadership of the Democratic Alliance (DA) are at war after ex DA leader Mmusi Maimane called John Steenhuisen ‘judas.’  

In an incident which seems to be a “who did the job better” situation, DA leader John Steenhuisen said that his party under the leadership of Maimane focused too much on bashing the African National Congress (ANC). 

It was at that point that Maimane fired back on Twitter on Saturday 1 February 2020, saying that Steenhuisen is a ‘judas.’ If you’re not sure about the word judas, it, in most cases, refers to the disciple that betrayed Jesus. 

“Someone should tell Judas Steenhusien to keep my name out of his mouth. It won’t end well for him. Just focus on your work and I will focus on my work. He must ask Cachalia,” said Maimane. 

Steenhuisen calls out former DA leadership 

Steenhuisen said that his party under Maimane focused too much on bashing the ANC, leading to the country’s detriment.  

“I think South Africans know why we are in a bad situation and I think what South Africans are looking for is a solution and a way out of the trouble that we are in. So, the days of just pointing the finger at the ANC and saying how bad they are, without putting workable solutions on the table, are over,” he told EWN. 

On Saturday, Maimane responded to the comment and defended himself on Twitter: 

“The previous administration was dismal. All opposition parties were critical of the ANC under Zuma. A key element of being leader of the opposition is to show the deficiencies in the ruling party. Judas Steenhusien was in full agreement with our approach,” added Maimane. 

Maimane claims he has no focus on the DA 

Soon after Maimane’s clap back, he posted a GIF with the caption: “Do not mistake kindness for weakness.” We’ll never really know what the specific purpose of it was but it was most likely intended for Steenhuisen. 

Thereafter, he tweeted that he is “not focused on the DA,” alluding to being over the blue party.

“I have no focus on the DA and it’s current formation. I am focused on building an activist movement for all South Africans,” he said. 

“We have classrooms to fix, jobs to create, justice to achieve and reforms to make. I am fully focused on this work but let’s respect each other,” he added.