Tourism Minister replaced in South Africa

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Unconfirmed reports from reliable eTN sources report the sudden departure of Marthinus Van Schalkwyk as the Minister of Tourism of South Africa. The world of tourism worked well with Mr.

Unconfirmed reports from reliable eTN sources report the sudden departure of Marthinus Van Schalkwyk as the Minister of Tourism of South Africa. The world of tourism worked well with Mr. Van Schalkwyk, and general comments on social media is saying that he will be missed.

He was a strong advocate of South-South cooperation and was pushing for Johannesburg airport to become an airline hub for Africa. He is being replaced by Derek Hanekom who had previously served as Minister of Science and Technology from 2012-2014. Derek Hanekom was Deputy Minister of Science and Technology having served under then Presidents Kgalema Motlanthe and Thabo Mbeki, and current President Jacob Zuma in May 2009. He has a strong ANC history having served 2 years in prison for the work he did for the ANC during apartheid, with his wife Dr. Trish Hanekom who served three years for her involvement.

He is also a former Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs under the Nelson Mandela government. Hanekom’s tenure as of Minister of Land Affairs was reflective of his career in the anti-apartheid NGO Sector and was selected by Mandela because of his ability, as an Afrikaner, to negotiate with white land owners. Hanekom’s tenure as minister was marked by an affinity for redistribution as opposed to retribution, and rights as opposed to property. This marks a strong contrast with his replacement by the Mbeki government with Thoko Didiza, a middle class ANC cadre. He is currently the chairperson of the disciplinary committee of the African National Congress.

He has served as a member of the African National Congress’s National Executive Committee since 1994; he was most recently elected in 2007.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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