South Africans still questioning Steenhuisen’s trip to Ukraine

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen may have found an unexploded rocket for a photo opportunity in Ukraine, but the cost of political indulgence may be more than the party bargained for.

Steenhuisen has dominated online social conversations this week and an eNCA poll on whether his trip to Ukraine was justified spiked in his favour only after a WhatsApp message did the rounds, soliciting votes among the party faithful.

Netnographer Carmen Murray said Steenhuisen had not had much support for the trip in earlier online conversations.

One standout tweet said: “John Steenhuisen’s planning a trip to the moon to see if he can assess the gravity of the situation.”

There was also an angry tweet that photoshopped Steenhuisen’s pensive pose next to the unexploded missile into a sewage spill scene in a Cape Town township.

The post read: “Breaking News: John, the leader of the DA was spotted in Cape Town townships. On his long trip from his house, which is also in Cape Town, John Steenhuisen went to assess sewer spillages which have now become part of people’s daily lives in black and coloured townships.”

Earlier this week, the DA leader justified his trip by tweeting: “As I write, the price of chips in SA school tuck shops is going up due to the soaring price of cooking oil.”

It immediately fuelled a raft of jokes, said Murray. Trending topics around the DA lead with the trip but on its heels in volume has been criticism of service delivery in municipalities governed by the party.

Racism under the banner of skin colour, has also haunted the party in online discourse since last year.

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Murray said: “The public also questioned why the party had to send its leader as emissary to physically show support when a Zoom call would have done the same job, at zero cost.”

On the trip, Steenhuisen met Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko to express his and South Africa’s support, although the government has not taken a stand.

The DA represents around 20% of the population. Murray said: “Social media questioned how an opposition party can assume the voice of foreign policy.”

The likelihood of the trip costing the party a small fortune in travel expenses was also noted.

The DA did not respond to questions about whether its leader travelled economy or business class, nor to questions relating to the cost of the trip and where the funds came from.

Murray noted: “There is a definite undercurrent that questions the arrogance of the trip, its indulgent nature and its purpose.

“Others wonder about the relevance of any comment, as our credibility has waned from rainbow nation to teetering on that of a failed state.”