Former minister Derek Hanekom has confirmed meeting with Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in 2017 ahead of a vote of no confidence against former President Jacob Zuma.
According to SAfm News, Hanekom said he held “several” meetings with EFF Secretary General Godrich Gardee over the matter.
EFF leader Julius Malema first dropped the bombshell at a rally in Pretoria on Tuesday.
He said Hanekom shared a list of African National Congress (ANC) MPs who would vote against Zuma in the vote of no confidence in Parliament.
As it turned out, about 30 ANC MPs voted against Zuma in the August 2017 secret ballot, according to a News24 report at the time. Zuma survived the vote by a narrow margin.
Malema also claimed that Hanekom and others were planning to form another party if the Zuma faction won ANC’s 54th National Conference in December 2017.
Hanekom’s admission has already sparked anger from some ANC members.
Magasela Mzobe, who served as national coordinator of the ANCYL Task Team appointed in 2013, tweeted that Hanekom’s admission “qualifies for expulsion.”
As Current Affairs ZA earlier reported, Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina and ANC NEC member Tony Yengeni have already demanded answers from Hanekom.
This admission is likely to fuel further divisions in the ANC.