Hennie Smit
Member of the National Assembly
In office
May 1994 – December 2001
ConstituencyWestern Cape
Personal details
Born
Hendrik Albertyn Smit

(1949-04-19) 19 April 1949
CitizenshipSouth Africa
Political partyNew National Party
National Party

Hendrik Albertyn Smit (born 19 April 1949) is a South African politician. He represented the New National Party (NNP) in the National Assembly from 1994 to 2001, serving the Western Cape constituency. Before that, he represented the National Party (NP) in the apartheid-era House of Assembly.

Early life and career

Born on 19 April 1949,[1] Smit formerly represented the NP in the all-white House of Assembly. He succeeded former president P. W. Botha as the representative for the constituency of George in the Western Cape.[2]

Post-apartheid legislative career

National Assembly

In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in 1994, Smit was elected to represent the NP in the new multi-racial National Assembly.[3] He served as the party's chief whip during the legislative term that followed.[4][5] In addition, he was chairperson of the NP's regional branch in the Southern Cape.[6]

Smit was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 1999 general election, representing the Western Cape constituency.[1] The following year, the NP (newly restyled as the NNP) joined the multi-party Democratic Alliance (DA) with the Democratic Party. Smit became chairperson of the DA's Southern Cape regional branch[7][8] and was appointed to the shadow cabinet of DA leader Tony Leon, becoming the alliance's spokesman on defence.[9] He was removed from the latter position after six months, in a March 2001 reshuffle by Leon.[10]

Provincial legislature

The NNP's participation in the DA was short-lived. At the end of 2001, when the NNP abandoned the alliance to enter into cooperation with the African National Congress (ANC), Smit resigned from the National Assembly in order to join the Western Cape Provincial Legislature, where he, with the ANC's Garth Strachan, was co-chief whip of the NNP/ANC caucus.[11][12] He left the legislature after the 2004 general election, although he continued to serve as financial chairperson of the NNP's provincial branch.[13] The DA claimed that, in a nepotistic arrangement, DA representatives were arranging for Smit to take up a job in the City of Cape Town Municipality.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 "General Notice: Notice 1319 of 1999 – Electoral Commission: Representatives Elected to the Various Legislatures" (PDF). Government Gazette of South Africa. Vol. 408, no. 20203. Pretoria, South Africa: Government of South Africa. 11 June 1999. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  2. ↑ "Scores of mourners bid final farewell to PW". IOL. 9 November 2006. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  3. ↑ "Minutes of proceedings of the Constitutional Assembly" (PDF). Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. 24 May 1994. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "Government's Fragile Unity Stretched". The Mail & Guardian. 29 July 1994. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "Work crunch for MPs". The Mail & Guardian. 7 July 1995. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  6. ↑ "NP in 'cash for votes' row". The Mail & Guardian. 12 June 1998. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "'Kaffir-lover' attack slammed". News24. 31 July 2001. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  8. ↑ "DA wins control of key councils". News24. 14 December 2000. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "DA appoints joint parly spokespersons". News24. 23 August 2000. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  10. ↑ "Leon reshuffles 'shadow cabinet'". News24. 8 March 2001. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  11. ↑ "NNP, ANC split chairs". News24. 22 December 2001. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "Morkel Cape Town's new mayor". News24. 14 December 2001. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  13. ↑ "Down and out in the New National Party". The Mail & Guardian. 23 April 2004. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  14. ↑ "DA accuses NNP of nepotism". News24. 16 May 2004. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
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