NATIONAL NEWS - ANC national executive committee member and former tourism minister Derek Hanekom has reportedly confirmed that he met with EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee several times to discuss “ways to oust” the then president, Jacob Zuma, according to SABC News.
Talk radio station SAfm has broadcasted the news as well as confirming it on social media.
Hanekom was removed from the executive by Zuma in one of Zuma’s last of many cabinet reshuffles. The former minister had been increasingly outspoken in his opposition to Zuma and is known to be a strong supporter of Cyril Ramaphosa’s rise to power.
EFF leader Julius Malema revealed outside the high court on Tuesday that the EFF had worked with the SA Communist Party’s Solly Mapaila and Hanekom to remove Zuma.
“Hanekom gave us the list of the ANC MPs who were going to vote with us in the vote of no confidence against Jacob Zuma,” Malema alleged. “Hanekom was preparing for formation of a new party if [Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma] won.”
Malema alleged that he had recordings to prove that Hanekom was part of plans to create a breakaway party if Ramaphosa did not win.
Prior to his confirmation to the SABC, Hanekom had not previously responded to Malema’s allegations, though he is quite active on Twitter himself.
Although the EFF and Hanekom may have worked together in such a project against a mutual foe, they have since fallen out, with EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu on Tuesday calling Hanekom “self serving” in a tweet and taking exception to Hanekom referring to the EFF as “fascists”.
He said Hanekom had in the past been “harassing EFF leadership with calls giving names of the EFF MPs who were going to vote with the opposition to remove Zuma, and said they will form a new party with NDZ won NASREC. Now he calls the EFF Fascists?! Go on!!!”
