John Steenhuisen currently serves as the Interim Leader of the Official Opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Parliament of South Africa’s, National Assembly. In 1999 he was elected to the then Durban City Council. At the age of 22, he was one of the youngest councillors in the history of the city. In 2006 he was elected as the Caucus Leader of the Official Opposition, the Democratic Alliance on the eThekwini Council and served on the City’s Executive Committee.
He represented Durban North for 10 years until the 2009 General Election where he was elected Leader of the DA caucus in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature. He also served as DA Leader in KZN.
In 2010 he took up a seat in the National Assembly and served as the DA Shadow Minister on Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs(COGTA). In 2014 he was appointed as the Democratic Alliance’s Chief Whip of the Official Opposition in the Parliament of South Africa.