Top news items in major S. African media outlets

CAPE TOWN, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The following are news items in South African major news outlets on Sunday:

-- African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa tightened his grip on running the party at the weekend when his backers dominated the newly constituted ANC National Working Committee (NWC).

Voting for the influential 20-member committee, in charge of the day-to-day running of the governing party, took place at a tense National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at the weekend in Saint George's Hotel in Tshwane, during which President Jacob Zuma's future was also discussed. (City Press)

-- A preservation order obtained by the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) of the National Prosecuting Authority has revealed that Atul Gupta, senior brother of the Indian Gupta family, was reportedly paid taxpayers' money to benefit from a Free State government dairy farm.

Vrede Dairy Farm was not up for running when millions of rand were deposited to his personal bank account by a company handpicked to the set up of the farm. (Sunday Times)

-- The South African Communist Party (SACP) said on Saturday it will support any decision by the African National Congress (ANC) to remove President Jacob Zuma from office.

SACP Second General Secretary Solly Mapaila was speaking when commenting on the parallels being drawn with the ANC's recall of former president Thabo Mbeki nine years ago. (South African Broadcasting Corporation) Enditem