#ANCNPC: Hanekom and Gordhan come under fire from Zuma’s allies

Senior ANC leaders Derek Hanekom and Pravin Gordhan reportedly suffered a bruising defeat yesterday after they were outnumbered by President Jacob Zuma’s supporters during a debate on the expropriation of land at the governing party’s 5th national policy conference, which is currently underway at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg.

According to several sources, supporters of Zuma and party presidential hopeful, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, during discussions in the economic transformation sub-committee were apparently on a “war path” after they pushed through a policy proposal to have land expropriated without compensation, News24 reported.

Sources the news website spoke to said Hanekom became emotional when he sharply disagreed with the Zuma faction on reviewing the ANC’s current land policy. He reportedly faced threats of disciplinary action after he described the proposed changes to the constitution as “nonsense”.

The former tourism minister was accused of being one of the most “ill-disciplined” members of the ANC and told to stop competing with US President Donald Trump on Twitter by ANC Youth (ANCYL) League Tshwane chairperson Lesego Makhubela.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s camp – which is not in favour of amending the constitution to fast track land reform – is said to have been up against ANCYL president Collen Maine, the league’s secretary general Njabulo Nzuza and KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Thanduxolo Sabelo, as well as other former leaders of the league who apparently came prepared with speaking notes.

Hanekom is said to have apologised for his remarks after the chairperson of the sub-committee Enoch Godongwana intervened, but Zuma’s allies insisted that he should face disciplinary action.

Gordhan on the other hand was reportedly attacked by Sabelo who called him a “representative of white monopoly capital”.

He was also challenged on the CIEX report, which recommended the recovery of the lost monies from Absa given as a “lifeboat” by the SA Reserve Bank during the apartheid-era to Bankorp that was later acquired by Absa in 1992.

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