Gayton McKenzie Apologises for Racist Tweets, South Africans Reject Apology

• The president of the Patriotic Alliance, Gayton McKenzie, has apologised for tweets that have resurfaced from over a decade ago
• McKenzie was slammed by the public and political parties after he used the K word in a series of tweets
• South Africans rejected his apology, and many called him a hypocrite for slamming the Open Chats Podcast hosts
• Briefly News spoke to attorney Noma-Gcina Mtshontshi about the legal aspect of McKenzie using the K-word

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, cabinet reshuffles, the State of the Nation Address, Parliamentary Proceedings, and politician-related news, as well as elections, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

JOHANNESBURG — Patriotic Alliance President Gayton McKenzie has apologised after tweets of his using the K word in the past have resurfaced from 2011.

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McKenzie posted a response to a thread of tweets he responded to on his @GaytonMcK X account on 11 August 2025. In the thread of tweets, McKenzie said that he was the son of a black woman and has children with black women. He added that he fought his entire life for equal treatment between black and coloured people.

McKenzie admits to being a troll

McKenzie said that he tweeted insensitive, stupid, and hurtful things a decade ago and admitted that he was a troll and stupid.

"I cringe when seeing them, and I am truly sorry for that. I shall subject myself to the investigation," he said.

View the X tweet here:

McKenzie was referring to the investigation after ActionSA reported him to the South African Human Rights Commission. McKenzie's past tweets resurfaced in the wake of the actions he took against Open Chats Podcast hosts.

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Gayton McKenzie and Open Chats

McKenzie slammed the podcast for the racially-charged statements they made against coloured people in a viral video. He took legal steps and ordered lawyer members of his party to provide a report for him to act against the podcasters, who apologised for their statements.

However, tweets with him using the K word and defending his use of the K word resurfaced, and the public slammed him. McKenzie faces calls for him to resign as the Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture.

However, his best friend and suspended party deputy president, Kenny Kunene, defended McKenzie. He said that the focus on McKenzie's past is an attempt to divert attention from insensitive and rude comments aimed at the coloured community.

Legal expert speaks to Briefly News

Briefly News spoke to Noma-Gcina Mtshontshi, the director of Mtshontshi Attorneys. She said that the envisioned Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act aims to give effect to constitutional and human rights obligations regarding hate speech.

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"With regards to whether using the k-word constitutes hate speech, the test involves assessing whether the communication, in its context, demonstrates a clear intention to be harmful, incite harm, or promote hatred based on specific prohibited grounds like race, religion ,and sexual orientation," she said.

Mtshontshi added that one of McKenzie's posts was a quotation of what MahatmaGhandi had allegedly said. She added that the context of his other tweets would have to be scrutinised against the elements of the test to determine if McKenzie used hate speech.

South Africans reject apology

Netizens commenting on his tweet did not accept his apology.

Dr Cash said:

"You were ready to open a case for kids who made a stupid mistake instead of teaching them."

Power said:

"You were out here demanding a sincere apology from those guys, and they gave one without trying to guilt-trip us. But what's this 'I can never be guilty of racism' nonsense?"

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Rob Motsatsi said:

"You have already interfered with the investigation by deleting tweets."

Shango Zeus said:

"You tried to destroy mere children for trolling. This is God teaching you a lesson."

Yutri Andropov said:

"It's the same as those kids on the podcast. Step down from the cabinet and Parliament."

Gayton McKenzie withdraws remarks about SABC

In a related article, Briefly News reported that McKenzie apologised to the South African Broadcasting Corporation and withdrew statements he made about them. This was after he said the Open Chats Podcast was hosted on SABC.

McKenzie said that he had a meeting with the SABC CEO, who showed him that the SABC has no link to the podcast. He said that the party will continue to hold the podcast to account.

Proofreading by Roxanne Dos Ramos, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News