Cape Town mayor Helen Zille was on Sunday elected as the new leader of the Democratic Alliance.
The announcement was made by DA leader Tony Leon to over a thousand delegates at the DA’s federal congress in Gauteng.
Zille steps into the shoes of Leon, who was at the helm of the DA and its predecessor parties for 13 years.
She beat two other contenders for the position, DA Eastern Cape leader Athol Trollip and federal council chairperson Joe Seremane.
Zille was mobbed by supporters as she entered the hall, and accompanied by blasts from vuvuzelas, took to the stage where she was greeted by Leon and handed a bouquet of flowers.
As she waved to delighted supporters, and blew them kisses, she was also joined by her husband, academic Johan Maree.
Addressing the crowd, Zille said she was honoured by the trust they had placed in her, humbled by the challenge that lay ahead and delighted by the opportunity she had been given.
‘Shackles of race’
She also paid tribute to Leon as a ”truly great South African”.
”No-one since Nelson Mandela has done more for democracy than you, Tony Leon,” she said.
Zille is a former journalist who went on to become a member of the Western Cape legislature, then a national member of Parliament, before taking on the mayoral chain after last year’s municipal elections.
Zille first came to prominence when she helped expose events behind the killing of black rights activist Steve Biko in police custody.
Her experience as mayor of Cape Town over the last year has also earned her respect as a competent administrator who understands the need to appeal across the racial spectrum.
”Our biggest challenge in this country is the politics of identity … to break away from the shackles of race,” Zille said as she announced her candidacy last month.
The DA’s James Selfe said Seremane had received 65 votes, Trollip 228 and Zille 786 votes. There were six spoilt ballots.
Zille was not immediately available for comment on Sunday afternoon. – Sapa