South African politics is engulfed in fresh controversy as mounting calls demand the removal of Minister Gayton McKenzie from his post as Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture. The backlash stems from resurfaced social media posts in which he allegedly employed apartheid-era racial slurs targeting Black South Africans.
ActionSA has lodged a formal complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), accusing McKenzie of repeated use of “hateful apartheid-era slurs” intended to degrade and dehumanize Black people . The party signaled readiness to escalate the matter to the Equality Court under the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act if the SAHRC fails to act .
Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have escalated pressure by demanding the minister’s immediate removal. They’ve highlighted statements from his resurfaced posts—including portrayals of Black people as lazy or defined by outdated stereotypes—as “hateful, racist, and dehumanising” .
Adding to the clamor, the African Transformation Movement (ATM) has filed a separate complaint, urging Parliament’s ethics watchdogs and the Presidency to investigate whether McKenzie breached ethical standards under the Constitution, Executive Members’ Ethics Act, and Parliamentary Code of Conduct .
In response, McKenzie has defended his past posts on his X account, calling the campaign against him “hilarious” and claiming that critics—having dug back 13 years—“can’t bring out one racist thing I ever said,” asserting that he has always championed unity between Coloured and Black communities .
This controversy follows earlier tensions when McKenzie—himself representing the coloured community—condemned racist remarks by hosts of the Open Chats Podcast, only for his own past comments to soon come under scrutiny .
At the heart of the escalation is growing public concern: opponents argue that someone accused of using racist language—especially within a ministry dedicated to unity through sports and the arts—undermines the ethos of inclusive nation-building.
As of now, the SAHRC has confirmed receipt of complaints. The ball is in the commission’s court to determine whether a full investigation is warranted. If no decisive action follows, ActionSA and EFF have vowed to pursue legal remedies independently .
