Ex Numbers Gang Boss Gayton McKenzie Recalls Life Behind Bars: “Happiness Is a State of Mind”
- Sports, Recreation, Arts, and Culture Gayton McKenzie recalled poetically a portion of his time behind bars
- With it, the politician answered a lingering question about his almost permanent state of happiness
- His viral X post attracted a varied response, inspiring some while leaving others uninterested and critical
Source: Getty Images
Gayton McKenzie has finally shed light on why he is the happy politician he is.
It's been a question on minds since he rose to political office, taking the reins as Sports, Recreation, Arts, and Culture Minister of the seventh administration.
Gayton McKenzie recalls life behind bars
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) president had no trouble answering after taking to X as his usual happy and quirky self.
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Attributing his life behind bars, McKenzie revealed:
"My first job in prison was to clean the executive block, including the toilets. I would be whistling while mopping the floors. The people couldn’t understand why I was always happy. Happiness is a state of mind; being miserable [all the time] is also [a] state of mind. Make your choice."
It's an open secret that bank robbery was one of the offences McKenzie was locked up for following the end of his crime spree in 1996.
He was sent to the over 5540-inmate Grootvlei Prison outside Bloemfontein in the Free State, spending several years before his release in 2003.
During his time in incarceration, he quickly rose to become a feared Numbers Gang boss who, according to his 2006 memoir, The Choice: The Gayton McKenzie Story, "didn't give a f**k".
The ex-Numbers Gang boss turned over a new leaf shortly before his release from prison. He eventually became a motivational speaker and went on to cut his teeth in politics with the formation of the PA in 2013.
He reached his zenith in his slow rise to political prominence when he was sworn in as a Member of Parliament (MP) in June 2024.
Prison precis gains traction
McKenzie's post received a resounding reception, giving readers a deeper look into the smile behind the man.
@ZiyaMadlakes wrote:
"Tell that to Malema and his followers. Their aggressiveness and disgruntled attitude will make them age early. Take it easy; I'm happy for you."
@phuti1928 said:
"Malema can learn a lot from you; the idiot is always miserable."
@Dr_Shiyaklenga added:
"There is a difference between being happy and becoming an ice boy minister. Re shebile (we're looking)."
Gayton McKenzie's reply to insult causes alarm
In related news, Briefly News reported that in what some interpreted as a cryptic message — or threat — Gayton McKenzie issued a stern warning to a journalist rubbing him up the wrong way.
It played out on social media, where McKenzie has been a hit, for the good and not-so-good. On the latter, McKenzie has become a target of heated opinion pieces in columns. Other times, he's been the subject of well-framed conjecture about his incompetence for the job in impassioned online posts.
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Source: Briefly News
