Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie received backlash after the resurfacing of his old tweets that contained derogatory language, leading to him explaining himself.
This comes after he fought Open Chats podcast, when the hosts made derogatory comments about the coloured community.
During his recent Facebook live, McKenzie claimed that the uproar surrounding his old tweets is simply a political campaign orchestrated by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and various social media influencers.
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader said in his live: “I never thought I would be accused of racism.
“In my life, I have never called anyone the K-word. This campaign is driven by the EFF and influencers. Could you show me the people I called the K-word? Please bring them to me. People have gone back to dig for posts from 11 years ago. Who are the victims?,” he said.
The minister also went into detail about the X (formerly Twitter) posts and other social media posts between him and PA deputy president, Kenny Kunene. He said when they posted or shared it at the time, they never had any aspirations to go into politics.
“I cringe when I look at that. I’m embarrassed,” he expressed.
He further explained that he did not post the tweets himself; instead, he was responding to racist comments made by the original posters of the tweets.
Additionally, he took to his Facebook page to share that he is paying the price with a smile.
Meanwhile, IOL reported that the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is expected to meet on Monday to consider a racism complaint against McKenzie over resurfaced tweets dating back more than a decade where he had apparently used the derogatory k-word.
Also see: Gayton McKenzie takes legal action in the wake of podcast apology for racial discrimination
