Kenny Kunene Defends Gayton McKenzie After Racism Row Over 2011 Tweets
- Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy president Kenny Kunene has defended party leader Gayton McKenzie
- This comes after old tweets, dating back to 2011, of Gayton McKenzie making racist remarks have resurfaced
- Kunene claims the renewed focus on McKenzie’s decade-old posts was an attempt to divert attention
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Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy president Kenny Kunene has defended party leader Gayton McKenzie after old tweets from 2011 resurfaced online.
Source: Twitter
What did Kunene say?
In a post shared on social media on 9 August 2025, Kunene claimed the renewed focus on McKenzie’s decade-old posts was an attempt to divert attention from “insensitive and rude insults” allegedly aimed at the coloured community during a recent podcast.
Kunene said McKenzie’s “crime” was defending the community and taking action against those responsible for the remarks.
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"I and all members of Patriotic Alliance know that our president is not a racist and we stand cement vas with Pres," Kunene said.
He added that the Patriotic Alliance (PA) would proceed with an Equality Court case and approach other institutions to address what he described as “racist insults” made on the podcast.
What did Gayton McKenzie do?
Minister McKenzie is being accused of being a racist. This comes after social media posts from 2011 resurfaced online. In the posts McKenzie repeatedly used derogatory language from the Apartheid era, along with other remarks that allegedly degraded and dehumanised black South Africans.
ActionSA has filed a complaint to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) accusing Minister McKenzie of making racist remarks. The party said a sitting cabinet minister should be held accountable for comments that cannot reasonably be defended as anything but racist and demeaning.
Source: Twitter
South Africans weigh in
Social media users shared their opinions regarding the remarks made by Gayton McKenzie.
@Strawss1 said:
"Gayton was defending his people, fair enough. But what about you, Kenny?🤔 Why aren’t you protecting your own community from his insults? If you stand for your people, then why defend someone who disrespects them?"
@ThamsanqaKenke said:
"Wena we are still to get the truth from you eintlik eintlik what were you doing at that house."
@tafadzwandeipi said:
"You seriously don't expect any better for a xenophobe. The moment one hates another person 4 any reason, especially that cannot be changed by the person being hated, they can always hate the next person for these funny things."
@jairoskudah1 said:
"Are those old tweets fine according to you?"
@SpholaM6 said:
"So, have u indicated as to why you were found at a house of someone who is currently arrested for a case of drug cartel, multiple murder etc."
@m_zagagana said:
" He was the first to call for removal of Renaldo Gouws for an old video where he referred to black people as kaffirs. Gayton can't continue to be a minister for people he calls kaffirs, lazy, dumb, and will never own anything."
McKenzie withdraws statement linking SABC to podcast
In a related story, Briefly News reported that the President of the Patriotic Alliance, Gayton McKenzie, spoke up about the remarks he made about the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
McKenzie said he met with the SABC and admitted that he was wrong for implicating the SABC with the Open Chats Podcast.
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Source: Briefly News
