Johannesburg – Gayton McKenzie, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, is facing mounting pressure as opposition parties demand his resignation following the re-emergence of historical social media posts containing racial slurs and disparaging comments about black people.
The controversy ignited after McKenzie's Patriotic Alliance (PA) initiated legal action against the podcast "Open Chats" for making derogatory remarks about coloured people. In response, users on X (formerly Twitter) began scrutinising McKenzie's past social media activity, unearthing a series of offensive posts.
In posts dating back to 2015, McKenzie repeatedly used a racial slur, and appeared to equate terms such as "tenderpreneur" and "black diamond" to calling individuals "a better k*****". Further back in 2013, McKenzie attributed a statement to Mahatma Gandhi, saying: "A k*****’s sole ambition is to collect a certain number of cattle to buy a wife with and then pass his life in indolence and nakedness." This statement echoes sentiments Gandhi expressed in an 1896 speech in India.
In 2011, McKenzie also wrote that black people who complain about white people adopting black children should be shot. In another post, he suggested that not all white people who make black people ride in the back of their vehicles are racist, attributing it to hygiene, stating: "Some of these guys stink as hell."
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) swiftly called for McKenzie's immediate removal as minister. They released a statement saying that it is the "height of hypocrisy for McKenzie to demand accountability from others when he himself harbours the same hateful attitudes".
African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyo Zungula has also urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to take action against McKenzie. In a post on X, Zungula questioned: "President Ramaphosa, you appointed a minister who has publicly uttered deeply offensive and despicable words against black people. Is this really the vision of unity and inclusivity that the GNU stands for? We demand action NOW!"
ActionSA has taken a more concrete step by reporting McKenzie's old posts to the Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). In a statement released on Saturday, 9 August, they said that this was because he repeatedly used hateful slurs from the Apartheid era, along with other offensive references that served to degrade and dehumanise black South Africans.
“While we hold reservations about the effectiveness of the SAHRC, it remains the constitutionally empowered institution mandated to address such matters. Accordingly, we will follow the prescribed process, but are fully prepared to independently institute proceedings at the Equality Court in terms of Section 20 of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act,” they said.
The party said that earlier this week, they joined South Africans in condemning vile and repugnant remarks directed toward the Coloured community.
“Today, we do the same in confronting racism in all its forms by holding a sitting Cabinet Minister accountable for comments that no reasonable person can defend as anything other than racist and demeaning."
They said racism and the dehumanising of any person, regardless of their race, have no place in Mzansi.
“Which is why we have also lodged a complaint against Minister Dean Macpherson for his deeply offensive and racially charged attacks on ActionSA supporters, referring to them as “amaphara” and “hobos,” they said.
The party said that non-racialism is a founding and defining value of ActionSA.
“Anchoring our belief that we must fight to protect the dignity of every South African and ensure that all, especially those serving as Cabinet Ministers, uphold the very essence of our constitutional dispensation, for which many sacrificed their lives."
In response to the allegations, McKenzie took to Facebook to defend himself, claiming he was being targeted because of his demands for action against the "Open Chats" podcast. He denied being racist, highlighting that his mother was a black woman.
"I’m paying this price with a smile," McKenzie wrote in his post. "Coloured people are not supposed to stand up and fight back, we must be insulted and crawl back into our corner. My crime is to lead the protest against those racist young people. A full campaign is now on to brand me as a racist against black people, I have fought my whole life for coloured and black unity; I am the son of a black mother. I was born from different races."
McKenzie also remarked that people are angrier at coloured people "instead of racist podcasters", adding: "This is why I am happy that we have the Patriotic Alliance. I don’t have a racist bone in my body. I have always advocated unity amongst races."
Kunene, along with other PA members, reiterated their support for their leader. "I and all members of the PA know our president is not a racist and stand firmly behind him," Kunene stated.
Kunene also sought to contextualise several of McKenzie’s past comments, explaining: "He is quoting Gandhi to illustrate how black people are seen by others, including Gandhi." On the "tenderpreneur" and "black diamond" posts, Kunene explained that McKenzie was discouraging the labelling of successful black businesspeople. "I said the same thing to The New York Times in 2011, and he got it from me," Kunene claimed.
He concluded: "This man [McKenzie] has never been and will never be a racist. His mother is a south Sotho woman from the Batho location in Mangaung, and his father is coloured. I know him better than anyone. Even in prison, he led a group comprising black, white, Indian and coloured inmates in an exposé."
At the time of publication, neither McKenzie nor the presidency had responded to enquiries. The controversy surrounding McKenzie's past social media posts continues to escalate, raising questions about his suitability for public office and the broader issue of race relations in South Africa.
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