John Steenhuisen elected as interim DA leader

Steenhuisen was elected on Sunday, following the party's federal council meeting held at its headquarters in Bruma, Johannesburg. 

Steenhuisen went head-to-head with Makashule Gana, to fill the position left vacant by Mmusi Maimane who resigned as party leader last month. 

READ: Mmusi Maimane resigns from DA, Parliament

He says the government has failed to change people lives with race-based policies introduced over two decades ago. 

''Race-based policies has failed, inequality has got wider. There are more poor people now in South Africa than before, after two-and-half decades of race-based politics." 

"I have never said that race does not matter. Of cause it matters in South Africa and it matters because 99.9 percent of poor people in this country happen to be black South Africans. So, of cause race matter, but you are not going to fix the problems by just continuing with the same processes," he said,