Several senior Democratic Alliance (DA) leaders are receiving generous financial “top-ups” from party funds, even as the organisation faces internal criticism for how it treats other members over far smaller amounts.
A confidential report, signed in December by the DA’s former federal finance chairperson, Dr Dion George, has been leaked and sets out in detail which senior figures are getting extra money over and above their state salaries. The document is titled as a record of “payments, or top-ups, currently paid by the party to any public representative”.
Those listed include outgoing DA leader and Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, Deputy Finance Minister Ashor Sarupen, former Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink, DA head of policy Mathew Cuthbert, MP Werner Horn, parliamentary chief whip George Michalakis, and uMngeni Mayor Chris Pappas.
The revelations come at a sensitive time for the DA, which is already under fire over alleged double standards in how it applies its own financial rules to different members.
Clash over “tithe” and internal discipline
The debate has been sharpened by the recent case of DA national spokesperson Karabo Khakhau. She was “forced” to withdraw her candidacy for a top internal post after the party ruled her out of order for missing a required monthly contribution, known in DA circles as a “tithe”.
Khakhau missed the July payment, but has confirmed that she paid what she owed in October and no longer has any outstanding debt to the party. Despite that, the unpaid contribution led to her disqualification from contesting the position of deputy chairperson of the DA’s federal council ahead of the federal congress.
George, who resigned as the party’s federal finance chairperson in January, has publicly criticised the way the DA handled Khakhau’s case. He took to X to question whether the party was applying its own rules fairly.
“The DA has a very clear credit control policy. If a public representative contribution is not paid within seven days after it is due, action is taken. If Karabo missed a payment, she should have received a letter – if she didn’t, that process failed her. Double standard indeed!”
His comments have fuelled the debate over whether the party is stricter with some members than others, especially when compared with how senior leaders appear to be treated in relation to generous top-ups and benefits.
However, the DA’s Federal Council presiding officer, Disiree van der Walt, has defended the process that led to Khakhau’s disqualification. Speaking to Eyewitness News (EWN), she stressed that the decision was not made by a single individual, but by top party structures.
Van der Walt said Khakhau’s disqualification was a decision taken by the Federal Executive and the DA’s Free State branch, and that it related to compliance shortcomings with party rules.
Steenhuisen’s pay and perks
At the top of the leaked list is outgoing leader John Steenhuisen, who now serves as Agriculture Minister in the Government of National Unity. The report notes that Steenhuisen earns a substantial combined income from both his Cabinet role and the party.
According to the document, his total package from the party and the state is on par with the wage of the deputy president. On top of his Cabinet salary, he receives additional benefits from the DA.
Steenhuisen receives a clothing allowance and a “leader stipend,” which between April 2024 and June 2024 stood at almost R60,000. The report also details how he had access to a DA credit card for some time.
“In addition to the additional payment, he had access to a party credit card with a limit of R10,000 per month until access was stopped by the Chairperson of Federal Finance in March 2025. Payments could not be reconciled and purchases for which the card was not intended were made.
“Currently, he has a re-imbursive arrangement to a limit of R10,000 per month for party expenditure only,” the document added.
Top-ups for senior campaign figures
Several other senior DA figures are also receiving additional payments from party coffers, primarily tied to their roles in upcoming election campaigns or internal portfolios.
Ashor Sarupen, now serving as deputy finance minister, receives an additional R50,000 per month from the DA on top of his Cabinet salary.
“He requested an additional payment of R50,000 gross per month, given his role as national campaign manager for elections in 2026,” the leaked document reads.
“The payment was effective from 1 April 2025 and is, in terms of his contract with the Party, effective until Election 2026.”
The report says Mathew Cuthbert, a member of Parliament and the DA’s head of policy, also asked for and was granted an extra R50,000 gross per month.
“Mathew Cuthbert is a member of Parliament and the head of policy for the DA. He requested an additional payment of R50,000 gross per month, given his role as head of policy, as set out in the party organogram,” the confidential report reveals.
Werner Horn, a DA member of Parliament, receives a similar amount.
DA MP Horn, also requested that he be paid an additional R50,000 gross per month to supplement his parliamentary earnings. This is, however, remuneration for his role as the DA’s national campaign manager.
Support for party mayors and former mayors
The report shows that the DA has also stepped in to support some of its mayoral figures when they lose better-paid posts or work in municipalities with lower salary structures.
Cilliers Brink, the party’s mayoral candidate in Tshwane and former executive mayor of the capital, is one of those beneficiaries. After he was removed as mayor via a motion of no confidence, he lost the lucrative salary that comes with leading a metro.
Brink now receives an additional R62,386 per month (before tax) from the DA. The party’s Federal Finance Committee approved this top-up after his removal, with the report stating that the aim was to help him maintain his standard of living after he lost the mayoral wage.
Following his removal, he also lost out on the handsome mayor’s salary. It was because of this that the DA gave him a top-up to maintain his life after losing the mayoral wage.
The party has also agreed to pay extra to uMngeni Mayor Chris Pappas, citing the relatively modest pay scale of his municipality.
Pappas is the Umgeni Local Municipality Mayor. The document reveals that Pappas requested an additional payment to supplement his “relatively low salary” in the municipality.
The DA pays Pappas an additional R44,609 gross salary per month, on condition that he remains in the municipality as the DA’s mayoral candidate for the upcoming local government elections.
“The payment was effective from 1 October 2025 and, in terms of his contract with the party, effective until Election 2026. Payment is subject to him being available as a mayoral candidate for uMngeni.”
Chief whip and pay parity
The leaked report also shines a light on how the DA deals with internal positions in Parliament, especially in the new era of the Government of National Unity.
It notes that George Michalakis, a DA member of Parliament and the party’s chief whip, is also getting extra money to close the gap between what he earns now and what he would have earned in a different political setup.
“George Michalakis is a member of Parliament and the Chief Whip of the DA. Had the DA not entered the Government of National Unity; he would have been remunerated as Chief Whip of the Opposition.
“Although he is the Chief Whip of the second largest party, he is remunerated as an ordinary Whip. He requested to be paid an additional amount to earn equal to the Chief Whip of the Opposition. He is paid R9,053 gross per month,” the document adds.
DA keeps quiet on leaked report
With questions piling up about how the party balances internal discipline, fairness and financial support for its leadership, Eyewitness News approached the DA for comment on the leaked report.
DA national spokesperson Jan de Villiers declined to respond directly to the detailed questions sent to him.
In a text message to Eyewitness News, he said: “Regarding the report currently in circulation, the DA will not be commenting at this stage.”
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