Gayton McKenzie

The Honourable
Gayton McKenzie
MP
McKenzie in 2024
Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture
Incumbent
Assumed office
3 July 2024
PresidentCyril Ramaphosa
Preceded byZizi Kodwa
Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 June 2024
Executive Mayor of the Central Karoo District Municipality
In office
11 April 2022 – 2 May 2023
DeputyGideon Petersen
Preceded byJohanna Botha
Member of the Laingsburg Municipal Council
In office
7 April 2022 – 14 June 2024
Preceded byMitchell Smith
President of the Patriotic Alliance
Founder of the Patriotic Alliance
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 November 2013
DeputyKenny Kunene
Preceded byParty founded
Personal details
BornGayton McKenzie
(1974-03-10) 10 March 1974[1]
Heidedal, Orange Free State, South Africa
PartyPatriotic Alliance (2013–present)
Spouse
Nicolette Joubert
​
(m. 2003)​
(divorced)
Children8
Occupation
  • Businessman
  • politician
  • motivational speaker
  • author

Gayton McKenzie (born 10 March 1974) is a South African politician and businessman,[2] who serves as Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture in the Government of National Unity (GNU) since July 2024.

McKenzie was convicted of armed robbery in his early twenties and served eight years in prison. He later gained public attention in the early 2000s through his involvement in a publicised prison exposé. After his release from jail, he became a businessman, motivational speaker and author. From 2022 to 2023, he served as the Executive Mayor of the Central Karoo District Municipality.[3][4][5] In 2013, McKenzie co-founded the Patriotic Alliance political party and has since served as its president.[6]

Early life and business activities

McKenzie grew up in the Heidedal neighborhood of Bloemfontein, South Africa.[7] He lived in a working-class environment marked by poverty and gang activity. Although his family was not involved in illegal activities, McKenzie explains that he was drawn to crime from an early age, particularly through a neighbor who was a gang member. He says he joined a gang in his early teens.[8][9][10][11]

After spending eight years in jail from age 21 for armed robbery, McKenzie came to prominence in the early 2000s for his role in a prison exposé. McKenzie, with three other inmates (including Kenny Kunene), secretly captured footage of "prison officials engaging in corrupt and illegal behaviour", with the footage having showed scenes from Grootvlei Prison that outraged the public and "brought attention to the dire conditions within South Africa's correctional facilities".[12] The exposé led to his early release amid an investigation of prison corruption by the Jail Commission of Inquiry.[13]

He used his story of changing from a life of crime to attaining success as a businessman as the basis for his motivational talks.[14]

He has gone on to work as a consultant in the mining industry and runs a diversified business with interests in several sectors.[15]

Politics

Patriotic Alliance launch and first elections

McKenzie launched the Patriotic Alliance political party on 30 November 2013, and became the party's first president. McKenzie, along with long-time friend Kenny Kunene, have become known for using open letters to provoke political debate, cause controversy and attract attention.[16] Kunene left the Economic Freedom Fighters shortly after its formation before helping to launch the Patriotic Alliance.[17] The PA ran in the 2014 general election but received too few votes to win a seat in Parliament.[18]

At the end of April 2014, just more than a week before the elections of 7 May, McKenzie wrote a highly critical open letter to Economic Freedom Fighters president Julius Malema, which gained widespread attention.[19] In the letter and in subsequent interviews, McKenzie referred to Malema as the "biggest threat facing South Africa". This was based partly on the EFF's policies on land expropriation and nationalisation. The primary criticism, however, was focused on the character of Malema himself, whom he accused of not being a real revolutionary, a "false prophet" whose promises would take South Africa to civil war and someone who had "stolen" significant amounts of public money during his political ascent.[19] Malema dismissed the letter as predictable rhetoric prior to an election.[20]

In 2022, he was elected mayor of the Central Karoo District Municipality, where he lives (although he also owns homes in Johannesburg and Cape Town).[21] During the campaign, he made numerous promises: to eliminate bucket toilets and to repair municipal swimming pools. He also promised not to accept his mayoral salary and to make the district a “illegal immigrant-free zone”.[22] He failed to keep most of these promises and resigned in May 2023, explaining that he had also promised to serve as mayor for only one year.[23][24]  

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture

In the 2024 general election, McKenzie was elected to Parliament following a campaign with xenophobic undertones centered on the slogan “Abahambe” which means “let them go” in Xhosa and Zulu.[25] This slogan was used by the Patriotic Alliance to call for the expulsion of foreigners from South Africa.[26] On July 3, 2024, following negotiations during which McKenzie reportedly sought to be appointed Minister of Home Affairs, he was named Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture in Cyril Ramaphosa’s Government of National Unity.[27]

Rather than through structural reforms of the ministry, McKenzie’s mandate has been marked by a strong media presence, a flurry of announcements, and several controversies (see below). He promptly pledged his ministerial salary to be donated to a charity that works to recover missing children.[28] Controversially, the charity, The Joslin Smith Foundation, was founded by McKenzie himself only a few weeks prior.[29][30] He also promises to make spinning a national sport[31] or to bring Formula 1 to South Africa[32].

During the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, McKenzie was very visible among the South African delegation. He promised to improve conditions for athletes and increase investment in elite sports. However, his presence in Paris sparked controversy following revelations about the high cost of the ministerial delegation.[33]

McKenzie intervened on the boards of several cultural and heritage organizations. He dissolved the board of directors of the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport and that of the National Arts Council.[34][35] Similarly, he appointed some of his close associates to the executive committee of the Mzanzi Gold Economy Fund, which is responsible for distributing funding. His supporters portray these changes as an attempt to bring order to institutions deemed ineffective, while his opponents accuse him of making appointments that are too closely tied to his political party, the Patriotic Alliance.[36][37]

Controversies

Alleged corruption

In 2010, McKenzie was hired by the gold mining company Gold Fields as a consultant to assist the company with issues related to Black Economic Empowerment (a public policy of affirmative action aimed at rectifying the inequalities created by apartheid in the workplace). Several journalistic investigations revealed that McKenzie allegedly exceeded the scope of his assigned role, and that several of his associates (friends, business partners, extended family members, and colleagues) allegedly received equity stakes with a total estimated value of more than 330 million rand. McKenzie admits to having worked on Gold Fields’ BEE program and that certain people he knows have benefited from this policy. He denies, however, any wrongdoing. The allegations made against McKenzie have not resulted in a criminal conviction against him.[38][39]

In 2022, then Central Karoo District Municipality mayor, Gayton McKenzie raised R3 million for service delivery at a gala dinner fundraising event in Sandton. The money was never deposited into the municipality's bank accounts.[40] In 2023, Eugene Botha, national head of legal affairs for the Patriotic Alliance and in whose bank account the money was later found, said that the money would be treated as a donation to the Patriotic Alliance and declared to the IEC.[41][42] In 2024, the Western Cape High Court ordered that McKenzie and the law firm linked to Botha, Botha E & Erasmus Y Inc, hand over relevant documents to investigators looking into allegations of corruption.[43]

Gang ties

Gayton McKenzie, a convicted former criminal and 26s gang boss who was jailed for robbery for 17 years, has been alleged to have links to gang members as party leader of the Patriotic Alliance.[44][45]

In 2022, McKenzie was involved in the transfer of Eldorado Park gangster Jermaine Prim from a medium-security to a maximum-security facility; a move described as part of a gang war. In 2024, a Mail & Guardian investigation alleged McKenzie's party is funded by the daughter of slain 27s gang boss William “Red” Stevens; McKenzie denied the claims made in an audio recording by a councillor.[46]

Alleged xenophobia and racial comments

In 2024, McKenzie was criticised for his alleged xenophobic and anti-immigration comments when he questioned the right of Chidimma Adetshina, who has immigrant parents, to contest the Miss South Africa contest.[47] It later emerged from a Department of Home Affairs investigation that Adetshina's birth was allegedly registered fraudulently in South Africa, a matter the government intended to prosecute, and she then withdrew from the competition.[48][49]

In August 2025, previously unseen social media posts on X (formerly Twitter) by McKenzie resurfaced, revealing his use of the racial slur kaffir, which is highly offensive in South Africa and is aimed at Black South Africans. Screenshots of posts dating back over a decade have circulated widely and drawn formal complaints from ActionSA and the African Transformation Movement to the South African Human Rights Commission and parliamentary ethics bodies.[50][51] McKenzie responded via his X account, calling the renewed focus on his old remarks "hilarious" and asserting that critics "can’t bring out one racist thing I ever said", adding that he believes "Coloureds and Blacks are one people being treated differently mistakenly".[51][52]

Multiple political parties and commentators condemned McKenzie’s remarks, accusing him of hypocrisy given his recent legal efforts that contributed to the cancellation of the Open Chats Podcast due to its offensive comments about the Coloured community, including false claims of family inbreeding, while he himself had engaged in likewise charged rhetoric.[53][54][55]

Israel and water management cooperation

Gayton McKenzie publicly describes himself as a supporter of Israel, and his statements are consistent with Christian Zionism. For example, he explains: “My Bible commands me to support Israel”[56][57][58].

McKenzie and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) attracted media attention in South Africa in 2023 and 2025 for pursuing closer relations with Israel, in contrast to the African National Congress (ANC)-led government's official foreign policy.[59][60] In particular, McKenzie and PA members travelled to Israel in 2023 to explore cooperation in water management, wastewater treatment, and Israeli technological innovation.[61][62]

McKenzie's engagement was motivated in part by an interest in applying Israeli expertise in desalination, sustainable agriculture, and water technology to assist South African municipalities and address issues such as water management and unemployment.[61][63][64] Referring to the water crisis in Johannesburg, McKenzie reportedly stated that South Africa could learn from Israel to "sort out the water crisis in South Africa".[65]

Later, in April 2025, McKenzie approved the participation of PA members in a multi-party delegation and fact-finding mission that also included representatives from the Democratic Alliance (DA), and which met in Tel Aviv with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.[59][60] Following the visit, nine South African MPs associated with the delegation declared that they had found "no evidence of apartheid" in Israel and described the country as "a vibrant, progressive, multi-racial and multi-ethnic society".[59][60]

2026 Venice Biennale

In early 2026, McKenzie withdrew South Africa’s participation in the 2026 Venice Biennale, even though artist Gabrielle Goliath had been selected by an independent jury to represent the country with her work Elegy.[66] While McKenzie officially cited irregularities in the selection process and possible foreign influence, the controversy quickly centered on a component of the work paying tribute to the Palestinian poet Heba Abu Nada, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza. The minister described this part of the installation as “highly divisive” and reportedly requested that it be removed, which Goliath refused to do.[67] To its critics, this decision amounted to political censorship targeting a work perceived as pro-Palestinian. Goliath appealed to the High Court, but its appeal was dismissed on procedural grounds, without the court ruling on the merits of the case. The case has become a symbol of the tensions between artistic freedom and state intervention in cultural institutions.[68]

Books

Many of his books have been bestsellers in South Africa, detailing his life of crime and subsequent return to society, politics, and advocacy work.[69][70][71][72][73][74] His works are:

  • Cilliers, Charles (2007): The Choice: The Gayton McKenzie story. ISBN 9780620368162
  • McKenzie, Gayton (2013): A Hustler's Bible: Words to Hustlers. Johannesburg: ZAR Empire Holdings. ISBN 9780620557719
  • McKenzie, Gayton (2014): The Uncomfortable Truth. Johannesburg: ZAR Empire Holdings. ISBN 9780620614962
  • McKenzie, Gayton (2017): A Hustler's Bible: The New Testament. Johannesburg: ZAR Empire Holdings. ISBN 9780620750950
  • McKenzie, Gayton (2017): Kill Zuma by any means necessary. Johannesburg: ZAR Empire Holdings. ISBN 9780639920405

References

  1. ↑ "Gayton McKenzie Biography, Age, Wife, Education, Career, Net Worth". City Media. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Jail rape melted the ice in brutal gangster's heart". Sunday Times. 13 November 2005.
  3. ↑ Maduna, Motlalepula (11 September 2017). "Gayton McKenzie: I robbed a bank before age 16". Power 98.7. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Jail rape melted the ice in brutal gangster's heart". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  5. ↑ Dolley, Caryn (30 August 2021). "Road to Local Elections: What do a gangster, a pastor and sushi have in common? The Patriotic Alliance". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  6. ↑ McKenzie, Gayton. "Thug to Thug - Gayton McKenzie's harsh open letter to Julius Malema". Times LIVE.
  7. ↑ Khumalo, Juniour. "Patriotic Alliance's Gayton McKenzie accused of lies, deceit by residents of his former home town". News24. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  8. ↑ SCHRIEBER, SINESIPHO (20 May 2024). "'Only I can take on drug lords and mafias': Former gang boss Gayton McKenzie". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Fraser, Amy. "'I'm not excited about being a Minister; I'm excited about the change I can bring' – Gayton McKenzie". EWN. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Tleane, Lebo (4 June 2024). ""They Called Me a Bandit, It's Now Honourable," Gayton McKenzie Shares His Life Story". Youth Village. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Mashamaite, Modiegi (5 June 2024). "From gang boss to MP: PA's McKenzie reflects on life of gangsterism". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Uys, Tina; Radulovic, Ugljesa (2 January 2025). "Truth to Power: A Historical Overview of Whistleblowing in South Africa". South African Review of Sociology. 55 (1): 95–112. doi:10.1080/21528586.2025.2493730. ISSN 2152-8586.
  13. ↑ "COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO ALLEGED INCIDENTS OF CORRUPTION, MALADMINISTRATION, VIOLENCE OR INTIMIDATION INTO THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES APPOINTED BY ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA IN TERMS OF PROCLAMATION NO. 135 OF 2001, AS AMENDED" (PDF). Government Communication and Information System. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  14. ↑ The Citizen 2017 Archived 6 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 6 April 2017
  15. ↑ "Gold Fields response to Carte Blanche report on BEE deal - About Politicsweb | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  16. ↑ Kunene, Kenny. "Kenny Kunene's letter to Zuma". IOL.
  17. ↑ "Kenny Kunene quits EFF". Sowetan LIVE.
  18. ↑ "EFF reaches a million votes". www.polity.org.za. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  19. 1 2 "Hard-hitting open letter to Julius Malema". News24.
  20. ↑ "Malema responds to open letter". News24.
  21. ↑ Payne, Vincent Cruywagen and Suné (24 July 2022). "'I will run for President in 2024', Central Karoo Mayor Gayton McKenzie says after 100 days in office". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Payne, Suné (11 April 2022). "Central Karoo mayor Gayton McKenzie calls illegal immigrants a 'stain' and warns of 'citizen's arrests'". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  23. ↑ Nel, Brandon (3 May 2023). "Gayton McKenzie resigns as Central Karoo mayor". The Herald. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  24. ↑ Nkanjeni, Unathi (21 December 2022). "A look at Gayton McKenzie's year as mayor and what he achieved". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Gayton McKenzie - from ex-gangster to South Africa's sports and arts minister". www.bbc.com. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  26. ↑ THE CENTRE FOR ANALYTICS AND BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE (10 May 2024). "Monthly Social Listening Updates & Recommendations for online conversations about immigrants in South Africa #1". Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  27. ↑ "Gayton McKenzie - from ex-gangster to South Africa's sports and arts minister". www.bbc.com. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  28. ↑ "Gayton McKenzie's Profile on the South African Government Website". Gov.za.
  29. ↑ Solomons, Lisalee. "Gayton McKenzie pledges to donate 100% of ministerial salary to his Joshlin Smith Foundation". News24. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  30. ↑ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  31. ↑ "Car spinning: South African motorsport set for boost with government backing". BBC Sport. 24 December 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  32. ↑ Sherman, Michael (18 June 1973). "Gayton McKenzie confirms no Formula 1 in South Africa in the near future". IOL. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  33. ↑ Gerber, Jan. "McKenzie's gravy train to Paris Olympics cost taxpayers R800 000". News24. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  34. ↑ Manjra, Shuaib (28 January 2026). "Gayton McKenzie's abuse of power is not an aberration, it is a pattern". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  35. ↑ Neille, Diana (26 May 2026). "Minister McKenzie axes National Arts Council board with immediate effect". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  36. ↑ "Gayton McKenzie accused of turning Sports, Arts and Culture boards into political strongholds". Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  37. ↑ Mangenga, Ian (7 July 2026). "Memory is infrastructure — the dangerous cost of dissolving the National Arts Council board". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  38. ↑ amaBhungane (17 January 2014). "Gold Fields: Ex-con McKenzie's cronies given R330m". AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  39. ↑ "Gold Fields response to Carte Blanche report on BEE deal | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  40. ↑ Charles, Marvin. "Pressure mounts on Central Karoo District over Gayton McKenzie's missing millions". News24. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  41. ↑ Payne, Suné (29 June 2023). "'Missing' R3m from Gayton McKenzie fundraiser at centre of latest DA, PA strife". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 4 July 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  42. ↑ Karrim, Azarrah. "McKenzie's millions: The lawyer, the R3m Karoo cash and the PA-linked trust account". News24. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  43. ↑ Payne, Suné (4 June 2024). "Gayton McKenzie ordered to hand over documents for corruption probe". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 4 July 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  44. ↑ "Gang links to new parties".
  45. ↑ "'Only I can take on drug lords and mafias': Former gang boss Gayton McKenzie". 20 May 2024.
  46. ↑ Koko, Khaya (12 January 2024). "Recording alleges that gangsters, drugs fund the Patriotic Alliance". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  47. ↑ Savage, Rachel (1 August 2024). "Miss South Africa contestant faces backlash over Nigerian father". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  48. ↑ Savage, Rachel (8 August 2024). "Miss South Africa contestant withdraws after mother is accused of identity theft". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  49. ↑ Maako, Keitumetse. "Chidimma Adetshina withdraws from Miss SA". Life. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  50. ↑ Ramushwana, Alpha (9 August 2025). "ActionSA lodges complaint with SAHRC against Gayton McKenzie for racist remarks". EWN. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  51. 1 2 Makwakwa, Thabo (10 August 2025). "ATM demands investigation and removal of Minister Gayton McKenzie over racist remarks". IOL. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  52. ↑ Duba, Sibuliso (9 August 2025). "McKenzie under fire for old 'k-word' social media posts". Cape Town ETC. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  53. ↑ "DA to report offensive podcast to Human Rights Commission". Democratic Alliance. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  54. ↑ Rall, Se-Anne (7 August 2025). "Open Chats Podcast faces backlash for racist comments, legal action on the horizon". Cape Argus. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  55. ↑ Heever, Megan van den (8 August 2025). "'Hypocrite': Gayton McKenzie dragged over 'racist' comments". The South African. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  56. ↑ Zeeman, Kyle (15 October 2023). "WATCH: 'Calling Israel an apartheid state delegitimises what black people went through'- Gayton McKenzie". The Citizen. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  57. ↑ "What it Means to Continue: On Gabrielle Goliath, Reparative Work, and Resisting State Violence | Momus". momus.ca. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  58. ↑ Moichela, Kamogelo (15 July 1991). "'My Bible commands me to stay with Israel' - PA's Gayton McKenzie responds to ANC's ultimatum over Israel-Palestine conflict". IOL. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  59. 1 2 3 "South African MPs claim 'no evidence of apartheid' during controversial Israel fact-finding mission". Daily Maverick. 10 April 2025.
  60. 1 2 3 "GNU MPs' fact-finding trip to Israel likely to deepen political tensions". Daily Maverick. 9 April 2025.
  61. 1 2 "South African Patriotic Alliance delegation visits Israel". JNS.
  62. ↑ "Israel has answers for SA, say unrepentant political leaders". South African Jewish Report.
  63. ↑ "Patriotic Alliance sends top delegation to find out why Israel's economy thrives, how SA can learn from them". Joy News.
  64. ↑ "SA's problems need smart innovation, says Israeli expert". South African Jewish Report.
  65. ↑ "Patriotic Alliance leaders turn to Israeli counterparts on how to run coalitions". Cape Times. 26 July 2023.
  66. ↑ Bargelès, Claire (2 March 2026). "L'Afrique du Sud se prive de Biennale d'art contemporain sur fond de désaccord autour de la guerre à Gaza". Le Monde (in French). ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  67. ↑ Savage, Rachel; correspondent, Rachel Savage Southern Africa (31 January 2026). "South African artist sues minister for blocking her Venice Biennale Gaza entry". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 July 2026. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  68. ↑ Tolsi, Niren (7 May 2026). "Gabrielle Goliath opens at Venice Biennale despite Gayton McKenzie's attempts to cancel her". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  69. ↑ "The Choice". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  70. ↑ "A Hustlers Bible - Exclusive Books". www.exclusivebooks.co.za. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  71. ↑ "The Uncomfortable Truth". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  72. ↑ Pantsi, Nandipha. "Gayton McKenzie launches 'Trapped'". The Citizen. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  73. ↑ McKenzie, Gayton. "Kill Zuma By Any Means Necessary".
  74. ↑ "A Hustler's Bible, the New Testament : Gayton McKenzie : 9780620750950". www.bookdepository.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
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