SAFTAs 2026: Gayton McKenzie's Prison Story and Gay Joke in Videos Leaves Viewers Cringing

• The South African Film and TV awards (SAFTAS) took place on 14 March 2026, and one of the guests was the Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, Gayton McKenzie
• The politician had several moments on The SAFTAS stage, where he addressed the crowd, and each speech rubbed some people the wrong way
• Jokes that the Minister made at the SAFTAs failed to land, especially when the video surfaced on social media

The SAFTAs took place in Johannesburg in celebration of South African entertainers. Minister Gayton McKenzie joined the who's who in the entertainment industry for the annual award ceremony.

All eyes fell on Gayton McKenzie when he took to the stage during some segments at the SAFTAs at the Gallagher Convention Centre. One of the moments that made it to social media included the co-host of the SAFTAs, Anele Mdoda, sharing an interesting interaction with the Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture.

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In a video posted by entertainment blogger Phil Mphela, the minister was addressing the crowd at the SAFTAs. Gayton McKenzie decided to launch into a story about a friend who started a prison riot because of the award ceremony. The minister was animated as he went into detail about his bizarre experience behind bars, reminding people of his criminal past. Phil complained that he did not enjoy having the minister at the award ceremony, which was meant to celebrate creatives in the entertainment industry. Watch the video

In another awkward moment, the minister was with Anele on stage, talking about fashion. Gayton said that gay men can dress well because they've been in the closet for so long. Anele handled the minister's statement with a joke that now everyone will analyse what he said, as she joked that Helen Zille would be coming on stage to do just that. Watch the video of Anele and Gayton below:

South Africa slams Gayton McKenzie at SAFTAs

Online users were not impressed by Gayton's story about prison, saying he reminded everyone that he is an ex-con. Online users were also not impressed by the production quality of the SAFTAs. Read people's comments below:

@Dlulane_BongaM was not happy:

"Sigh. This whole clip is cringe and wrong. Straight people are the worst. Sies."

@DrRebrand said:

"He could have just taken something from their strat plan, rather be boring and formal than this clownery. Where was the comms team to prepare something for him? His interactions with Anele were cringe enough #Saftas19."

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@Tshepowfour3 was not amused:

"I’m waiting for his joke to land."

@MissPampi imagined:

"His comms team busy drafting his apology rn."

@ntlok6 also did not appreciate Gayton:

"I think his criminal past is minor compared to the damage he's doing to the country, and it's being ignored. By the time we wake up, it will be too late."

ActionSA demands transparency on McKenzie's spending

Briefly News previously reported that ActionSA stated that it can reveal, through parliamentary questions posed by MP Dereleen James, that Minister Gayton McKenzie allegedly failed to fully disclose the costs associated with more than 20 international and domestic trips funded by taxpayers.

In a media statement released on Tuesday, 3 March 2026, ActionSA claimed McKenzie did not provide a detailed cost breakdown as required by the official parliamentary question, accusing him of choosing "evasion over accountability". The party alleged that the minister undertook 12 international trips to destinations including Brazil, Russia, Singapore and Spain, while his deputy is said to have completed eight international visits to countries such as Morocco and India. According to ActionSA, neither provided full disclosure of the associated costs

Source: Briefly News