Just a few years ago, many wrote off Gayton McKenzie and his Patriotic Alliance as a political gimmick. But last week, the ANC was forced to bow to him — and it won’t be the last time, writes Zukile Majova in Real Politics.
McKenzie made it clear that his party would pull out of the government of national unity (GNU) if his deputy Kenny Kunene was not returned to the mayoral committee in Johannesburg. And it wasn’t an empty threat.
He wanted Kunene to be brought back as the member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for transport — a powerful post that oversees the Johannesburg Roads Agency and multi-billion rand budgets for infrastructure and road upgrades.
The ANC in Johannesburg was open to Kunene’s return — just not in the transport role. And it’s easy to see why.
The Johannesburg Roads Agency is spending R2.8 billion over three years on fixing potholes and upgrading major roads that link townships to economic hubs. The city is planning to spend a total of R26.2 billion over the next three years on infrastructure — with R8.7 billion of that happening this year alone.
It’s one of the most important and tender-heavy portfolios in the city. Understandably, mayor Dada Morero was reluctant to hand it to an opposition party.
Even ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula tried to play tough, saying McKenzie’s party walk out would not collapse the GNU.
But the truth is, McKenzie had the upper hand — and he knew it.
Patriotic Alliance is now the sixth largest political party in the country, with more than 670,000 votes in the last election.
While the EFF is losing ground in key metros, the PA is growing in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
The party’s by-election wins tell the story. This week alone, they won Ward 29 in Diepkloof, Johannesburg — an area where even the announcement that Helen Zille may run for mayor next year couldn’t pull votes back to the DA.
In Swellendam in the Western Cape, the PA beat both the DA and the ANC in a hotly contested by-election.
That victory has sent shockwaves through the Overberg region, where an alliance between the PA and the ANC could push the DA out of some local municipalities.
Elsewhere, small parties like Al Jama-ah and GOOD, once seen as potential partners to win over the coloured vote, are struggling to grow. But the PA’s momentum shows no signs of slowing down.
Week after week, they keep winning — especially in coloured communities long ignored by the big parties. And while critics like Julius Malema dismiss McKenzie and Kunene as jailbirds, voters do not seem to care.
Now, for the first time, the ANC has a partner that could help it roll back the DA’s dominance in the Western Cape and parts of Gauteng.
And President Cyril Ramaphosa knows it.
McKenzie is seen by some in the ANC as a future kingmaker — someone who could help the ruling party regain metros it has lost over the years.
McKenzie himself is aware of the power he holds. In a recent Facebook Live broadcast, he declared: “We are not considering, we are withdrawing from our relationship in coalitions and immediately after that, we are going to start the processes of withdrawing from the GNU also”.
It was a bold move — but one that showed just how far the PA has come.
Once dismissed, McKenzie is now playing at the top table, making deals with the president, forcing concessions from the ANC, and proving that he’s not just here for the ride.
He may not have the numbers yet to stand on his own — but in tightly contested metros, he already holds the keys.
Come the 2026 municipal elections, McKenzie may not just be calling the shots — he could be choosing the mayor.
Image caption: Gayton McKenzie
Source: Patriotic Alliance
