Gayton McKenzie Hits Back at Racism Allegations, Calls Out ‘Political Smear Campaign’

Minister under fire over live video and old posts

Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie is facing mounting pressure after using the K-word during a live video last week, a broadcast he says was intended to address racist remarks made by the Open Chats podcast hosts. The backlash quickly escalated when social media users unearthed decade-old posts from his X (formerly Twitter) account.

McKenzie, who also leads the Patriotic Alliance (PA), says the outrage is nothing more than a coordinated political attack orchestrated by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and a handful of social media influencers.

“I never thought I would be accused of racism,” McKenzie said in his defence. “In my life, I have never called anyone the K-word. Show me the people I supposedly called that. People have gone back 11 years to dig up old posts. Who are the victims?”

A past McKenzie now regrets

Addressing the resurfaced X posts, McKenzie admitted embarrassment. He explained that the posts were written before he and PA deputy president Kenny Kunene had any ambitions to enter politics.

“I cringe when I look at that. I’m embarrassed,” he said, adding that the remarks were responses to racist comments made by others, not unprovoked slurs.

Sourced: X

Complaints and calls for removal

Despite his explanation, the political fallout is widening. ActionSA has lodged a formal complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (HRC), with the party’s MP Alan Beesley saying, “We are confronting racism in all its forms by holding a sitting Cabinet Minister accountable for comments no reasonable person can defend.”

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has also filed a complaint, while the EFF is calling for McKenzie’s immediate removal from his ministerial position.

Public reaction and political undercurrents

On social media, reactions have split sharply along political lines. Supporters argue McKenzie is being targeted because his party poses a threat in certain voting blocs, while critics insist hate speech from public leaders cannot be excused, no matter the political context.

The incident has revived a familiar debate in South African politics: whether public figures should be judged by their past words or only by their present actions, and to what extent political rivalry fuels outrage.

More than a personal scandal

In a country still wrestling with its apartheid-era wounds, McKenzie’s controversy taps into a broader question: has South Africa created a political culture where racism is truly intolerable, or has it become another weapon in the partisan battlefield?

If the HRC takes the case forward, it could become one of the most closely watched hate speech investigations in recent years, not just for its legal implications, but for what it says about South Africa’s ability to separate justice from political theatre.

{Source: The Citizen}

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