Sandra Botha has beaten her rival, former National Party minister Tertius Delport, for the post of leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.
Botha got 30% of the votes and Delport received 26%.
Finance spokesperson Ian Davidson, former Gauteng leader of the Democratic Alliance, was elected unopposed for chief whip after KwaZulu-Natal leader Mike Ellis withdrew from the contest.
Former National Party agriculture minister Kraai van Niekerk retained the post of chairperson of the caucus in Parliament against Janet Semple.
Botha, from the Free State and whose husband Andries is a former Free State leader of the party, will lead the official opposition in Parliament as party leader.
Cape Town mayor Helen Zille, who was recently elected party leader at the DA’s national congress, is not a member of Parliament.
Botha will hold one of the best paid jobs in the party — with an annual salary of about R600 000 a year, slightly less than Zille. ‒ I-Net Bridge