Cape Town – Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has denied allegations of racism after old tweets from 2013, in which he allegedly used the K-word against black people, resurfaced.
The controversy follows his recent legal action against a podcast over remarks about the coloured community.
McKenzie insists he has never used the slur towards anyone, calling the claims a politically driven campaign by the EFF and others.
He cited his diverse heritage as evidence he cannot be racist.
“I never thought people would accuse me of racism.
Patriotic Alliance leader, Gayton McKenzie, says he is ‘truly sorry’ for social media posts he made years ago. The posts contain several racial slurs which has caused widespread outrage. Several political parties including the EFF and ATM are calling for McKenzie’s removal as… pic.twitter.com/AIAtgBRr4o
— eNCA (@eNCA) August 11, 2025
“In my entire life, I’ve never called anybody the K-word. We are the victims. This is a political campaign driven by the EFF, together with some influencers on X. Let them show me where I used the K-word referring to someone. They can’t,” McKenzie said in a Facebook live stream video, according to Times Live.
“There must be a victim. Racism has a victim. Who is the victim, and did I ever use the K-word on? That’s the first thing they should prove. Secondly, is there anyone in this world who can say I’ve been racist towards them? No.”
I’m the son of a black woman, I have children with a black woman, i fought my whole life for same treatment between black and coloured ppl because we fought same struggle. Frame 1, I call out racism, frame 2, I generally always included myself when speaking about black issues. pic.twitter.com/2sM1tiftbg
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) August 11, 2025
Several political parties, including the EFF and ActionSA, have called for his removal as minister, with the ATM requesting President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate and the SA Human Rights Commission to step in.
The EFF condemned the remarks as deliberate anti-Black prejudice and accused McKenzie of hypocrisy, citing his outrage over offensive comments about Coloured people.
The EFF’s Statement Calling for the Immediate Removal of Gayton McKenzie as Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture for his History of Hateful, Racist Remarks
-It is also the height of hypocrisy for McKenzie to demand accountability from others when he himself harbours the same… pic.twitter.com/7uV1x9Y5iI
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) August 9, 2025
“The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) calls for the immediate removal of Gayton McKenzie as Minister of Sports, Arts & Culture and a public apology to all Black South Africans for his repeated use of racial slurs and degrading stereotypes,” the party’s spokesperson Sinawo Thambi said in a statement on Saturday.
“These are not minor lapses or slips of the tongue, they are deliberate, repeated, and deeply harmful expressions of anti-Black prejudice.”
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Picture: X/@MinisterMcK
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
