The Democratic Alliance named its Eastern Cape leader Athol Trollip as the party's new parliamentary leader on Thursday.
Trollip, 45, was elected over DA chief executive Ryan Coetzee in a vote in the party caucus despite only becoming a member of Parliament for the first time on Wednesday.
The fluent Xhosa-speaker said he would like to "build bridges" with the ANC, but insisted his party wanted "a competent court" to review the withdrawal of corruption charges against Jacob Zuma last month.
Trollip will succeed Sandra Botha, who quit to take up the post of South African ambassador to Prague. - Sapa