DA asks Public Protector to probe McKenzie over PA-linked appointments and R31-million World Cup trip

The Democratic Alliance (DA)Gayton McKenzie, citing alleged appointments linked to the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and a R31-million delegation to the FIFA World Cup.

What the DA submitted

The DA says its additional evidence asks the Public Protector to examine whether McKenzie breached the Executive Members’ Ethics Act and the Executive Ethics Code through appointments and decisions that may have favoured people connected to the PA.

DA spokesperson on Sport, Arts and Culture Leah Potgieter said the supplementary filing includes new information about board appointments to public entities and details related to the minister’s World Cup trip.

“The Public Protector has the evidence now to investigate PA insiders who appear to be benefiting from taxpayer money,” Potgieter said.

Board appointments under scrutiny

According to the DA, recent checks identified at least 19 individuals connected to the Patriotic Alliance who have been appointed to boards of public entities overseen by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.

The party named institutions where some of the appointees serve, including the National Library of South Africa, the National Arts Council, the National Film and Video Foundation and the Robben Island Museum. The DA also said some appointees hold positions on multiple boards, which it says raises concerns about conflicts of interest.

Questions about the World Cup delegation

The DA expanded its complaint to challenge the composition and cost of McKenzie’s World Cup trip, arguing the delegation may have exceeded limits set out in the Ministerial Handbook.

Potgieter pointed to the handbook rule that a minister may be accompanied by no more than two support staff on international travel and said the minister travelled with a larger group.

“Gayton McKenzie is bound by the Ministerial Handbook, which rules that no more than two support staff can accompany a Minister abroad,” she said. “But Gayton McKenzie took his chief of staff, private and appointment secretary, spokesperson, and two ministerial support staff on his R31-million World Cup trip.”

The DA said many members of an 18-person delegation came from McKenzie’s political office and that it has submitted a Promotion of Access to Information Act request seeking additional details.

What the DA wants next

The supplementary complaint builds on an earlier DA submission that focused on appointments to the 2025/26 Mzansi Golden Economy adjudication panel and the World Cup trip. Potgieter said the Public Protector should test the minister’s denials against the new evidence.

“Last week, when questioned by the Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture about political affiliations and conflicts of interest at the National Arts Council, the Minister told Parliament, ‘There is nobody there that is there because of politics’,” Potgieter said. “That is precisely what the Public Protector must now test against the evidence the DA has provided in the supplementary complaint filed today.”

Next steps

The Public Protector will determine whether to broaden its investigation in response to the DA’s supplementary complaint.