The newly elected Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has been receiving praise from many citizens and others in the sporting community.
Since stepping into his role, the renowned author and businessman turned politician has been making steady progress in clearing loose ends when it comes to his portfolio.
Furthermore, he has also been transparent about the direction he wants to take as the minister by revealing his plans to bring international sporting events, such as the Formula One racing event, to South African soil. When he is not in the office, he can be spotted supporting many of the athletes who are donning South African colours at major international sporting events such as the rugby and the Olympic games.
Recently, Gayton was praised by another one of South Africa’s elite athletes, the UFC World Champion, Dricus du Plessis.
The 50-year-old minister visited the MMA fighter to wish him well ahead of his title defence against the New Zealander, Isreal Adesanya in Australia.
Taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) Gayton shared a post of their meet and greet.
In his post, Gayton revealed how inspired he was by both Dricus and his coach, who can do “miracles with little resources.”
I visited World Champion @dricusduplessis before he jets to Oz to go and win against Israel Adesanya. I met his coach Morné Visser who is doing miracles with little resources but massive heart. Dricus is a true Patriot that loves SA. pic.twitter.com/QfFQRaFnmS
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) July 30, 2024
In return, the defending champion shared a post of his own, writing:
“Today, our new minister of sports, Gayton Mckenzie, visited me and team CIT. I am humbled and so proud, this is a massive step in the right direction for the change we needed for a better SA.”
He concluded: “Thank you, Sir, for leading by example; you are a true inspiration.”
Also see: Gayton McKenzie aims to bring Formula 1 racing back to South Africa
