Partners in crime? Inside Gayton and Kenny Kunene's lucrative businesses
The friends and business partners have come a long way after meeting at a Bloemfontein prison more than two decades ago.
In 1997, Kenny Kunene – a qualified teacher – was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and spent six years at the Grootvlei prison in Bloemfontein. During this time, he befriended Gayton McKenzie, who was serving time for armed robbery.
The duo began hustling from behind bars by smuggling cash and food.
Gayton and Kenny reunited after their release and vowed to go into business together. They initially sold the former's motivational book, The Choice , to schools around the country.
Gayton McKenzie and Kenny Kunene's rise from rags to riches has largely been due to their ability to start and sell successful businesses for a profit.
The duo was mentored by businessmen Greg James and Gavin Varejes, and soon, they started their mining business, Central Rand Gold. Their mining business extended to other African countries.
The duo co-founded ZAR Empire Holdings, which had dealings in entertainment, property, and mining.
The company established the publishing group, X-Concepts, which is behind Gayton's multiple memoirs, including The Hustler's Bible.
They founded the ZAR nightclub franchise, a hotspot for many celebrities in the early 2000s. The pals also founded Rivonia On Deck, another popular entertainment venue.
For those who don't know: Kenny Kunene, a convicted criminal in his own right, is Gayton McKenzie's right-hand man and long time partner in 'business' and politics. pic.twitter.com/lgsk1aUocK — A Political Economist (@politicaleconZA) July 23, 2025
According to Kenny Kunene, Gayton and himself also sold fish and chicken from their car boots, marketed tickets to motivational talks to corporate companies, and also became security advisors to other businesses and the public.
'I went from sleeping on the floor to sleeping on the top floor of fancy hotels. I did it all!', Kenny said in his reality TV show, So What: Big Money, Big Dreams.
In 2013, Gayton McKenzie and Kenny Kunene cofounded the Patriotic Alliance. The political party was multiracial but particularly focused on serving the interests of the country's coloured communities.
At the time, Gayton had 'poached' Kenny from the Economic Freedom Front (EFF), which he was a member of.
He told Mail & Guardian at the time: 'I don't want to become a member of Parliament, nor does Kenny… want to work with the people on the ground.'
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
5 hours ago
- The South African
Kenny Kunene wears TWO luxury watches while professing innocence
Former 'Sushi King' turned politician Kenny Kunene wore not one, but two luxury watches in an interview, distancing himself from controversial businessman KT Katiso Molefe, who was arrested as the alleged mastermind behind the murder of Oupa John Sefoka, also known as DJ Sumbody. Kunene – the deputy-president of the Patriotic Alliance has maintained his innocence. According to eagle-eyed X users, Kenny Kunene sported two luxury watches in his interview with eNCA. One was an Italian brand, a neon green U-Boat Darkmoon worth around R30 000. The other high-end one was the highly coveted Swiss brand, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph, worth over R1 million! The former convict is known for his multi-million rand businesses and flashy lifestyle. Following his release from Grootvlei prison, Kunene became known as the 'Sushi King' over his love of eating sushi off the half-naked bodies of women. During his interview, Kenny Kunene claims he met Katiso Molefe once before being caught at his upmarket Sandton home this week. Moelefe is accused of allegedly ordering the hit on DJ Sumbody, who died in a hail of bullets in 2022. 'I have never been there before. I have no relationship with Mr Molefe, I don't have his cell number. The police established that. According to Kunene, he was at the 'wrong place, wrong time'. 'I have done nothing. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time, for the right reasons,' Kunene told the Mail & Guardian. Kenny Kunene has a long history of criminal activity. Images via Facebook: Kenny Kunene Kunene claims he was accompanying a journalist to Molefe's house to conduct an exclusive interview for his online publication, African News Global. He said: 'I spoke to my contacts who know this guy. He agreed to the interview to tell his side of the story. I was then told to bring the journalist because they felt comfortable with my presence. 'As we drove in — before entering the house — and while greeting the person who had connected us to him, the police kicked the gate to come in.' 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.
IOL News
7 hours ago
- IOL News
More questions over Kunene's presence at the house of the suspect
Speaking to a TV channel Kenny Kunene claimed he was accompanying a young journalist from his own media company, hoping to help them land an exclusive interview with Katiso 'KT' Molefe about the murder case. Image: Facebook Who is the journalist Kenny Kunene says he was escorting? Which media house do they belong to? And why were they meeting a murder suspect behind closed doors with a sitting MMC present? These are the urgent questions facing both political and media circles following revelations that Kunene, deputy president of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Johannesburg MMC for Transport, was present at the home of Katiso 'KT' Molefe, the man now under arrest in connection with the 2022 assassination of musician Oupa 'DJ Sumbody' Sefoka. On Tuesday evening, PA leader Gayton McKenzie took decisive action by suspending Kunene from the party and announcing plans to remove him as MMC. He said this would allow an independent investigation to proceed without political interference. 'Kenny Kunene will be investigated by lawyers of good character,' McKenzie said during a live broadcast. 'I will be writing to the Johannesburg Council to remove him from his MMC duties. He will also step back from politics for one month. This is the hardest decision I've made.'Kunene has acknowledged being at Molefe's Sandton residence when police carried out the arrest on Monday. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Speaking to a TV channel, he claimed he was accompanying a young journalist from his own media company, hoping to help them land an exclusive interview with Molefe about the murder case. 'These are young journalists,' Kunene said. 'This would've been a great exclusive for them. It was a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.' However, Kunene has not named the journalist, nor has he disclosed which media outlet they were working for. No interview footage has surfaced. No article has been published. No public statement has been made by the mystery reporter, raising serious doubts about whether any legitimate journalistic activity was taking place. The lack of transparency has drawn strong criticism from political rivals and civil society. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for Kunene's immediate resignation, saying his version of events is implausible and his position as MMC is no longer tenable.'The explanation offered is laughable,' said Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, the DA's Johannesburg caucus leader. 'It is unacceptable that a senior city official was found at the home of a murder suspect. There are no circumstances under which this conduct is excusable.' She continued: 'If Mr Kunene was genuinely assisting a journalist, where is the journalist? Where is the content? The people of Johannesburg deserve honest leadership, not secrecy and political theatre.' Molefe, who is facing charges linked to DJ Sumbody's fatal shooting in Woodmead in November 2022, is expected to appear in court later this week. The attack left two people dead and another injured, and it shocked the entertainment world and public has maintained that he believes in Kunene's innocence but stressed that belief is not enough.'I believe him 100%,' McKenzie said. 'But I can't expect the whole country to. That's why we are launching this investigation, and we will be transparent with the findings.' Political analysts have also weighed in, pointing to the unusual nature of a politician introducing a reporter to a suspect wanted in a high-profile crime. Speaking to a TV channel Kenny Kunene claimed he was accompanying a young journalist from his own media company, hoping to help them land an exclusive interview with Katiso 'KT' Molefe about the murder case. Image: Facebook
eNCA
9 hours ago
- eNCA
Canal+ clears final hurdle to acquire MultiChoice
JOHANNESBURG - France's Canal+ said on Wednesday it had cleared the final regulatory hurdle for the buyout of Africa's largest pay TV enterprise MultiChoice and further expand its footprint on the continent. The company said in a statement that the South African Competition Tribunal had given its approval for Canal+ to acquire the approximately 55 percent of MultiChoice shares it does not already own. The approval "clears the way for us to conclude the transaction in line with our previously communicated timeline" by October 8 at the latest, Canal+ chief executive Maxime Saada said in a statement. "I'm excited about the potential this transaction unlocks for all stakeholders... the combined Group will benefit from enhanced scale, greater exposure to high-growth markets and the ability to deliver meaningful synergies," he added. Canal+ is present in 25 African countries through 16 subsidiaries and has eight million subscribers, according to the French group. MultiChoice operates in 50 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and has 14.5 million subscribers, it says. It includes Africa's premier sports broadcaster, SuperSport, and the DStv satellite television service. "It is a hugely positive step forward in our journey to bring together two iconic media and entertainment companies and create a true champion for Africa," Saada said about combining Canal+'s French language offerings with the English and Portuguese content on MultiChoice. Canal+ hopes that the acquisition will allow it to grow to 50 to 100 million subscribers in a few years, from 27 million currently. The mandatory share offer of R125 per share values MultiChoice at $3.0 billion. The approval came with several public-interest conditions worth about 26 billion rand over three years and keeping MultiChoice's headquarters in South Africa.
