{{Short description|South African politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}} {{Use South African English|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Sonja Boshoff | honorific_suffix = MP | image = | image_size = | caption = | office1 = Permanent Delegate to the National Council of Provinces from Mpumalanga | term_start1 = 23 May 2019 | term_end1 = | term_start2 = 4 December 2013 | term_end2 = 6 May 2014 | office3 = Member of the National Assembly of South Africa | term_start3 = 21 May 2014 | term_end3 = 7 May 2019 | birth_name = | birth_date = <!-- {{birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} --> | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic Alliance | other_party = | spouse = Jaap | partner = <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married--> | relations = | children = 1 | education = | alma_mater = University of South Africa | occupation = | profession = Politician | known_for = | committees = | awards = | website = }} '''Hildegard Sonja Boshoff''' is a South African politician who has served as a permanent delegate to the National Council of Provinces from Mpumalanga twice, from 2013 to 2014 and again since 2019. She served as a member of the National Assembly from 2014 to 2019. Boshoff is a member of the Democratic Alliance.
==Education== Boshoff earned a degree in Public Administration and Management from the University of South Africa.<ref name="PA">{{Cite web |title=Hildegard Sonja Boshoff |url=http://www.pa.org.za/person/hildegard-sonja-boshoff/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=People's Assembly |language=en}}</ref>
==Political career== Boshoff was elected to the Thaba Chweu Local Municipality council in the 2006 municipal elections as a DA councillor.<ref name="Lowveld">{{Cite web |last=Import |first=Pongrass |date=2013-12-25 |title=Sonja appointed at NCOP |url=https://lowvelder.co.za/639082/sonja-appointed-at-ncop/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=Lowvelder |language=en-US}}</ref> She served as chief whip of the DA caucus and as constituency chair during her time on the council. From 2007 to 2013, she served as provincial coordinator of the Democratic Alliance Women's Network. Boshoff was elected deputy provincial chairperson of the DA at the party's 2011 provincial congress.<ref name="Lowveld"/>
==Parliamentary career== In December 2013, Boshoff became the DA member of the Mpumalanga provincial delegation to the National Council of Provinces, the upper house of the South African parliament, following Velly Manzini's expulsion from the DA for starting a new political party.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-12-04 |title=Province sends new member to National Council |url=https://lowvelder.co.za/39414/province-sends-new-member-national-council/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=Lowvelder |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=DA sacks MP for starting a new party - the Real Democratic Party |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2013-12-05-da-sacks-mp-for-starting-a-new-party-the-real-democratic-party/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=TimesLIVE |date=5 December 2013 |language=en-ZA}}</ref> Boshoff stood in the 2014 national and provincial elections as a DA parliamentary candidate for the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, and was elected as the DA retained its position as official opposition to the governing African National Congress.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-05-13 |title=ANC sends MECs to parliament |url=https://lowvelder.co.za/192958/anc-sends-mecs-parliament/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=Lowvelder |language=en-US}}</ref> After her swearing-in, she was appointed an alternate member of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education.<ref name="PA"/>
In 2015, Boshoff was elected deputy DA provincial leader to newly elected provincial leader James Masango.<ref name="Low2">{{Cite web |last=Import |first=Pongrass |date=2015-03-20 |title=Democratic Alliance chooses its new provincial deputy leader |url=https://lowvelder.co.za/643824/sonja-elected/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=Lowvelder |language=en-US}}</ref> She served in the position until the 2018 provincial congress when Trudie Grove-Morgan was elected to succeed her.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-04 |title=DA Mpumalanga elects new Provincial Leadership |url=https://content.voteda.org/mpumalanga/2018/03/da-mpumalanga-elects-new-provincial-leadership/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=Mpumalanga |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2017, Boshoff expressed serious concern over the amount of the disabled children waiting to be placed in special schools. She was sceptical over the Department of Basic Education's estimate of 11,000 learners waiting to be placed, saying that the previous figure was over 300,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Levy |first=Moira |date=2017-07-12 |title=Children with disabilities grow old waiting for schools |url=https://www.groundup.org.za/article/children-disabilities-grow-old-waiting-schools/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=GroundUp News |language=en}}</ref> In January 2019, Boshoff welcomed the South African Council for Educators' decision to make it a requirement for teachers applying for registration to provide a valid police clearance certificate, and called for current teachers to be subjected to a similar process.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All teachers should be required to have a police clearance certificate to register - DA |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/all-teachers-should-be-required-to-have-a-police-clearance-certificate-to-register-da-20190115 |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}</ref>
Boshoff was ranked low on the DA's candidate lists for the 2019 general election, therefore she was not re-elected to the National Assembly at the election.<ref name="PA"/> After the election, Boshoff was selected to return to the NCOP as the party retained its one seat in the provincial delegation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hansard {{!}} NCOP: Unrevised hansard {{!}} PMG |url=https://pmg.org.za/hansard/28538/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=pmg.org.za |language=en}}</ref>
==Personal life== Bosoff is married to Jaap. They have one son.<ref name="Low2"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.parliament.gov.za/person-details/429 Profile] at Parliament of South Africa {{Permanent delegates of the National Council of Provinces|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boshoff, Sonja}} Category:Living people Category:Afrikaner people Category:Politicians from Mpumalanga Category:Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2014–2019 Category:Women members of the National Assembly of South Africa Category:Women members of the National Council of Provinces Category:Members of the National Council of Provinces Category:University of South Africa alumni Category:Year of birth missing (living people)