Derek Hanekom

Derek Andre Hanekom (born 13 January 1953) is a South African retired politician, activist and former cabinet minister currently serving as the interim Chairman of South African Airways.

He is currently serving as a presidential envoy for South Africa mandated to promote investment with a focus on tourism. He was previously Minister of Tourism from 27 February 2018 until 29 May 2019. In his capacity as Minister of Tourism he was responsible for South African Tourism, the official national marketing agency of the South African government, with the goal of promoting Tourism in South Africa both locally and globally.

He previously served as Minister of Science and Technology from October 2012 until 2014. He was Deputy Minister of Science and Technology having served under the then-Presidents Kgalema Motlanthe and Thabo Mbeki, and former President Jacob Zuma in May 2009. He has a strong African National Congress (ANC) history having served three years in prison for the work he did for the ANC during apartheid, with his wife Trish Hanekom who served three years for her involvement.

He is also a former Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs, having served under the Mandela administration. Hanekom's tenure as Minister of Land Affairs was reflective of his career in the anti-apartheid NGO sector and he was selected by former President Nelson Mandela partly because of his ability as an Afrikaner to negotiate with white landowners. Hanekom's tenure as minister was marked by an affinity for redistribution as opposed to retribution, and rights as opposed to property. Some have cited a strong contrast with his successor in the ministry during the Mbeki administration, Thoko Didiza.

Hanekom was a member of the ANC National Executive Committee from 1994 to 2022 and the NEC deployee to the Western Cape - the only province the ANC does not govern.