EFF lays into DA’s John Steenhuisen for lacking post-matric qualification

Twitter’s all for education this morning after it was revealed that DA chief whip John Steenhuisen doesn’t have a post-matric qualification.

The news broke this weekend courtesy of a Sunday Times report (paywall).

DA’s ‘degree’ proposal could be bad news for chief whip John Steenhuisen https://t.co/gSO9j5nxtg

— Sunday Times (@SundayTimesZA) 25 November 2018

It’s not totally novel for a politician to have no tertiary education certificates — our former President Jacob Zuma is a good example — but the DA intends to pass legislation that would relegate chief whip Steenhuisen to a lower position based on his education certificates.

Twitter, namely opposition parties on Twitter, found this particularly amusing.

EFF Deputy President Floyd Shivambu laid into Steenhuisen, calling him “shallow”.

So @jsteenhuisen doesn’t have a degree or diploma or certificate in anything? His shallowness explains the whole thing. https://t.co/wYEmz5wrLp

— Floyd Shivambu (@FloydShivambu) 25 November 2018

“So @jsteenhuisen doesn’t have a degree or diploma or certificate in anything? His shallowness explains the whole thing,” he tweeted, linking the report.

Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, EFF spokesperson, added his thoughts with the hashtag #whiteprivilege.

Madoda, DA Chief Whip @jsteenhuisen doesn’t have a post-matric qualification?

If it were a black leader, this article would have even published his Matric results. So as to tarnish his standing as a chief whip for a serious law making institution like parliament #whiteprivilege https://t.co/PZjU1hIVQC

— Mbuyiseni Ndlozi (@MbuyiseniNdlozi) 25 November 2018

“If it were a black leader, this article would have even published his Matric results. So as to tarnish his standing as a chief whip for a serious law making institution like parliament,” he tweeted.

Not going down without a fight, Steenhuisen retorted, calling the EFF “a bunch of VBS looters and thugs”.

For all your degrees and qualifications you’re still a bunch of VBS looters and thugs I’m sure those who have suffered as a result of your party’s greed and thuggery have taken cold comfort knowing you had a degree while you betrayed them. https://t.co/l1GCkd0gVn

— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) 25 November 2018

“For all your degrees and qualifications you’re still a bunch of VBS looters and thugs I’m sure those who have suffered as a result of your party’s greed and thuggery have taken cold comfort knowing you had a degree while you betrayed them,” he added.

Your qualifications have obviously equipped you and your journeymen well for rational debate (beating up journalists) and VBS looting. I would rather be degreelesss and honest than qualified and dishonest like you. https://t.co/1fdDi8KuIC

— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) 25 November 2018

“I would rather be degreelesss and honest than qualified and dishonest like you,” he replied to Shivambu.

Feature image: screenshot, John Steenhuisen (@jsteenhuisen) via Twitter