Latest news with #OpenChat
The South African
4 days ago
- Politics
- The South African
K-word, 'Kill the Boer' unwanted in SA, says Gayton's GNU colleague
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen is the latest to add his voice to calls for action against Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie. Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader McKenzie found himself in the middle of a racial scandal following his strong stance on remarks made on the Open Chat podcast. During a live video regarding the controversy, McKenzie used the K-word. Since then, several other old videos have begun surfacing, which has led to many calling for his removal. Speaking at a media briefing, Steenhuisen weighed in on his Government of National Unity (GNU) colleague's remarks. 'I don't think that language has any place in South Africa, just as singing Kill the Boer has no place in South Africa,' he said. Steenhuisen stressed the importance of applying the same standard to all individuals who make inflammatory comments. 'There needs to be consistency, and when one party or person is called out, that consistency needs to carry through across the board,' he said. The DA has long opposed the chanting of Kill the Boer . Earlier this year, the Constitutional Court dismissed an application by advocacy group AfriForum to appeal a ruling that the song does not constitute hate speech. In 2022, the Equality Court found in favour of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), ruling that the song was not hate speech. The DA maintains, however, that it incites violence, fuels hatred, and deepens societal divisions. Despite the intense scrutiny, McKenzie insists that he is not racist, saying the accusations are false. 'I will no longer answer false racism accusations. I have work to do, elections are around the corner,' said the PA leader. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news
Eyewitness News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Hypocritical for McKenzie to call out racism with history of uttering racial slurs: EFF
JOHANNESBURG - The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said it's hypocritical for Minister of Sports Gayton McKenzie to call out racism when he himself has a history of uttering racial slurs towards black people. Over the weekend, old social media posts resurfaced in which McKenzie used several derogatory terms to describe black people. ALSO READ: - Gayton McKenzie at centre of political storm over his past utterances - Calls mount for Gayton McKenzie to be removed as sports minister amid racism claims - McKenzie plans to sue podcasters over disparaging comments about coloured community This comes just days after McKenzie filed hate speech charges against the Open Chat podcast for making offensive remarks about coloured people. As the Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader called for action against the Open Chats podcast, he is now facing scrutiny for tweets he posted over ten years ago. Both the EFF and ActionSA have called for his removal from Cabinet, saying there cannot be a minister with a history of using offensive language toward specific racial groups. The political organisations contend that McKenzie's statements are not mere slips of the tongue, but rather deliberate remarks intended to cause harm. In a video message to supporters last week, explaining why he was taking action against the podcasters, McKenzie said he had a zero-tolerance approach to racism in the party, and even dismissed one of its own members for using the K-word. 'I have fired somebody, a pastor actually, on the Cape Flats because he called people K*****. I fired him on the spot.' ActionSA has now reported Mackenzie to the South Africa Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
