Has John Steenhuisen’s marriage scandal resurfaced?
Action SA’s Michael Beaumont has commented on DA leader John Steenhuisen’s affair with his wife Terry, who is now married to Steenhuisen.
Michael Beaumont has publicly addressed, for the first time, John Steenhuisen’s affair with his ex-wife Terry, who left him for the Democratic Alliance leader.
The Action SA national chairperson was once married to the wife of the now Minister of Agriculture. However, their union was short-lived after a bombshell romantic liaison made headlines more than a decade ago.
MICHAEL BEAUMONT ON JOHN STEENHUISEN AFFAIR
Speaking to TimesLive, Michael Beaumont opened up about his life outside politics. This included touching on his short-lived marriage to his wife, Terry.
In 2010, the couple got married; however, after three months, he discovered his wife’s infidelity. At the time, the Witness reported that John Steenhuisen – then provincial leader for KwaZulu-Natal – engaged in an extra-marital affair with Terry, who was a media liaison officer in his office.
Michael was the provincial director and, essentially, John’s right-hand man.
Speaking of how his private life spilled into his professional life, he said of John: “We worked together daily. We were very close and interacted very closely, which made things terribly difficult.
“It was a difficult time, and it was a terrible thing to go through because it was a hugely public matter. It had a terrible impact on my family, who are private people.
Michael added that his wife’s affair with John Steenhuisen partially led him to leave the party and move to Gauteng.
However, he added that it was “ancient history”.
“In many ways, it was a blessing in my life, although it was a difficult thing to go through”, he said.
MOVING ON
After his bombshell affair in 2010, John Steenhuisen and Terry married in 2014 and will now be celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. Interestingly, the ceremony was officiated by former DA leader Mmusi Maimane, who is an ordained minister.
His best men included Geordin Hill-Lewis, who is now the Mayor of Cape Town, and Dean MacPherson, who is now the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure.
Before his marriage to Terry, John was married to Julie Steenhuisen from 2000 -2010. Their marriage also ended over the affair.
John and Terry are now parents to a little girl, Olivia, and he also has two daughters, Caro and Ashleigh, from his first marriage.
In 2017, Michael Beaumont married Mia; however, John’s ex-wife, Julie, has stayed out of the public eye.