'GAYTON MUST GO'
In one of his posts, he criticised the term 'Black Diamond' and 'Tenderpreneurs' as replacing the k-word as a slur.
However, the EFF called this move hypocritical after pointing out McKenzie's use of the K-word in a string of tweets dating back to 2011.
McKenzie made headlines last week when he and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) brought criminal charges against the Open Chats podcast for claiming that coloureds are incestuous and are 'crazy'.
McKenzie is being accused by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), ActionSA and the African Transformation of using the K-word.
GAYTON McKenzie is facing calls to fired as Sports, Arts and Culture Minister.
Mr President @CyrilRamaphosa , you appointed a Minister who has publicly uttered deeply offensive and despicable words against Black people. Is this really the vision of unity and inclusivity that the GNU stands for? We demand action NOW! pic.twitter.com/jOkjq8Sjbl
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In response, the EFF called for the immediate removal of Gayton McKenzie as Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture for his history of hateful, racist Remarks
An EFF statement said: 'It is also the height of hypocrisy for McKenzie to demand accountability from others when he himself harbours the same hateful attitudes.
'Recently, when podcasters on Open Chats made offensive remarks about coloured people — calling them 'incestuous' and 'crazy' — McKenzie expressed outrage, opened a case against them, and demanded a public apology.
'While he was right to be offended by prejudice directed at his community, this double standard strips him of any moral or ethical standing to lead on issues of non-racialism and social cohesion.
'Leaving him in office sends the message that the government condones such racism.'
The African Transformation Movement (ATM), meanwhile, lodged a complaint against McKenzie to the Presidency, Parliament, and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interests.
ATM parliamentary leader Vuyo Zungula said: '(The) tweets employ language steeped in historical racism, the same kind of degrading rhetoric used to strip black people of their humanity during apartheid and colonial eras.'
The complaint asks Parliament's ethics bodies to determine whether the remarks breach the Constitution, the Executive Members' Ethics Act, and the Parliamentary Code of Conduct, and to consider removing McKenzie from his ministerial post. It argues that his continued tenure undermines his office and Parliament.
Meanwhile, ActionSA has reported McKenzie to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for the racist remarks he made, which included the use of outdated and degrading slurs from the Apartheid era.
However, McKenzie wrote on his X account saying that: 'This whole campaign to find something racist I ever said is hilarious because you have now gone 13 years back and can't bring out one racist thing I ever said.
'I always and still fight that Coloureds and Blacks are one people being treated differently mistakenly.'
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Gayton McKenzie has threatened to take matters into his own hands if he is forcibly removed as Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture. This follows the resurfacing of his old tweets, in which he used racial slurs, including the K-word. In a Facebook Live on Sunday, 10 August, Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie addressed the backlash of his old racist tweets. Responding to the growing call for him to step down as his Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, he said: 'I work day and night for the people of South Africa. I make sure that this portfolio shines, because I have been given an opportunity by President Ramaphosa. The last thing I wanted to do was to humiliate him and make him answer things on my behalf. 'If for some reason I'm going to the ground and I'm no longer minister…You don't know what's coming. 'Let me tell you something…the time for coloured people being second-class citizens is over…We don't want to be treated better than black people, because they are our brothers and sisters. We want to be treated equally. Ek baiza nie vir julle nie [I'm not scared of you]'. Over the past few days, several political parties have called for Gayton McKenzie to be held accountable for his old social media posts. The Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen stated that Gayton's racial slurs 'has no place in South Africa'. Speaking in Johannesburg on Monday, he said: 'I think there's an extra duty of care on leaders in society to be careful about what they say and how they say it. 'And to ensure that we don't divide people and that we don't use these racial epithets.' Steenhuisen implied that Gayton needed to face the same consequences as others – like former DA MP Renaldo Gouws – who had been removed from office over controversial comments. 'It cannot be all right for one person to say something just because they have a certain skin colour. But it's not right for another person to say something. We need to be consistent in this. 'These terms are hurtful, hateful, and have no place in democratic discourse'. Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have called for Gayton's resignation as minister, while ActionSA has reported him to the South African Human Rights Commission. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
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