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JOHANNESBURG. — President Jacob Zuma took a strong stand at this weekend’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting in Irene in Gauteng, defending his position on the issue of land expropriation without compensation, and challenging his critics to read the ANC’s 2012 conference resolutions if they disagreed with his views.City Press heard that President Zuma had “set the record straight” by “explaining where the policy comes from and calling those who have been criticising him in the media to order”.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, Treasurer-General Zweli Mkhize and head of the economic transformation sub-committee Enoch Godongwana were among those who had described recent talk of land expropriation without compensation as “populist” and “playing to the gallery”.

An NEC member sympathetic to President Zuma said the president detailed the historical background of the land question, dating back to the time of the late ANC president, Oliver Tambo, “who said the core of our struggle was about land”.

Zuma concluded that “talk of populism was an indicator that the people do not read (ANC) conference resolutions, and that is why they do not implement them”.

A meeting of the ANC’s national working committee on Monday had also debated the land question, resulting in a decision that a special NEC gathering be called before the national policy conference, set to take place from June 30 to July 5, to thoroughly discuss the ANC’s position.

Those with knowledge of the Monday meeting described it as “tense and hot”.

The NEC this weekend agreed with the working committee on the importance of holding a special meeting to discuss land policy.

The NEC member who spoke to City Press said President Zuma was “reminding people that the ANC’s own resolutions could not be called populist statements”.

“( President Zuma) said he did not want to talk to people through the media. That is why he kept quiet and waited for the NEC platform to explain his position.

“He was asserting his authority, challenging those who say the policy does not belong to the ANC to explain its origin,” City Press heard. — City Press.