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. He served as the party's
chief whip during the legislative term that followed. In addition, he was chairperson of the NP's regional branch in the
Southern Cape. Smit was re-elected to the National Assembly in the
1999 general election, representing the
Western Cape constituency. and was appointed to
the shadow cabinet of DA leader
Tony Leon, becoming the alliance's spokesman on
defence. He was removed from the latter position after six months, in a March 2001 reshuffle by Leon.
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. He left the legislature after the
2004 general election, although he continued to serve as financial chairperson of the NNP's provincial branch. 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. == References ==