By Dylan Bettencourt
- Gayton McKenzie used the k-word in at least six tweets between 2011 and 2017 with other offensive comments about black people.
- Political parties demand his removal as minister while he refuses to resign claiming false racism allegations against him.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing pressure to fire Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie after old social media posts showing him using South Africa’s most offensive racial slur came to light.
The Patriotic Alliance leader used the k-word in at least six tweets between 2011 and 2017, along with other offensive comments about black people during the same period.
The tweets included one from 2012 saying not all white men who make black men sit at the back of a bakkie are racist, adding that some black men “stink as hell” and he “would do the same”. Another post said he would save white people before black people in certain situations.
The old posts were widely shared on social media days after McKenzie announced that his party’s legal team was preparing charges against black hosts of the Open Chats podcast for calling coloured people “incestuous” and “crazy”.
ActionSA has now asked the South African Human Rights Commission to investigate McKenzie. The Democratic Alliance said using the k-word has led to dismissal in past cases and should have the same result here.
The DA is particularly vocal about McKenzie’s fate after one of their own MPs, Renaldo Gouws, was fired for similar racist comments in the past.
Political parties across are demanding McKenzie’s removal, with the EFF calling for his immediate dismissal from his ministerial post.
The Presidency has not said whether Ramaphosa will act against his minister.
McKenzie has refused to resign, saying he won’t quit over what he calls “false racism allegations”. He insists he’s the victim of a political campaign driven by the EFF and social media trolls.
“How can I be racist against black people if I’m black?” McKenzie asked during a Facebook Live broadcast on Sunday night, denying he was racist and saying he had children with a black woman.
“In my entire life, I’ve never called anybody the k-word. Never. Let them show me, you Gayton, used the k-word when referring to that person. They can’t,” he claimed, despite the posts clearly showing his use of the slur.
McKenzie has since apologised on social media for what he called “insensitive” remarks in the past.
“I did tweet some insensitive, stupid and hurtful things a decade or two ago. I was a troll and stupid. I cringe when seeing them and I am truly sorry for that. I shall subject myself to the investigation,” he posted.
The minister explained that there were “contradictions” and “complexities” related to the use of the k-word in the coloured community, claiming light-skinned coloured people were nicknamed “boere” and dark-skinned people were called the k-word.
Professor Theo Neethling of the University of the Free State believes the PA can weather the storm due to its popularity in the coloured community, but said McKenzie’s use of the derogatory word is unacceptable.
“We as South Africans all need to be sensitive to words that can offend, as we have agreed not to use them,” said Neethling.
Under Section 10 of the Equality Act, hate speech is prohibited, with the South African Human Rights Commission stating that no person may publish words that could be construed as hurtful or harmful.
The scandal comes at a bad time for the PA, which already faces scrutiny over deputy president Kenny Kunene’s association with an alleged member of a murder syndicate.
Pictured above: Gayton McKenzie.
Image source: File
