Herman Mashaba Bashes Gayton McKenzie’s Apology, ActionSA Leader Describes It As Unacceptable
- Herman Mashaba responded to Gayton McKenzie's apology over his racist tweets from 2011
- ActionSA filed a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission over the tweets
- Mashaba believes that McKenzie took the matter too lightly with his apology over the posts
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG – Herman Mashaba is not happy with Gayton McKenzie’s apology over racist remarks he made over a decade ago.
The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture is in hot water after racist tweets he made in 2011, in which he used the K-word, resurfaced. While he’s since apologised for it, explaining that he was a troll and stupid at the time, Mashaba thinks his apology is unacceptable.
ActionSA originally filed a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), accusing the minister of making racist remarks.
PAY ATTENTION: Briefly News is now on YouTube! Check out our interviews on Briefly TV Life now!
What did Mashaba say?
Speaking to eNCA, Mashaba said that McKenzie took the matter too lightly with his apology, despite making such deep and hateful remarks.
“If this is called an apology, then I don’t know what an apology is,” he said.
He added that he considered it unacceptable, saying that the minister was trying to divert attention to a different subject matter in his apology. M
“You must understand that racist beliefs are in people; it’s not something that disappears. What people do is they hide it,” the ActionSA leader said.
What does Mashaba want to happen?
Unlike the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who called for McKenzie to be removed from his post, Mashaba suggested that he could be moved to another department. The ActionSA leader argued that the Sport, Arts and Culture department was one that was meant to be uniting South Africans, and so the country couldn’t have a minister who had something against a particular race.
“The best course of action is for President Cyril Ramaphosa, because he needs his support for some reason, to put him in another portfolio, but not a portfolio where you’ve really got to unite a nation,” Mashaba stated.
Source: Getty Images
What do you need to know about the McKenzie drama?
- The minister faced resignation calls following the uproar over his racist tweets.
- McKenzie apologised for the tweets, but South Africans were not having it.
- Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy president Kenny Kunene defended McKenzie.
- Ntsiki Mazwai joined fellow South Africans in calling for McKenzie to be fired.
- Sizwe Dhlomo weighed in on allegations that McKenzie was deleting old X posts.
McKenzie issues defiant statement after calls for his removal
Briefly News reported that the Patriotic Alliance leader responded to calls for his removal as a minister.
McKenzie issued a defiant statement when he said that people don’t know what’s coming if he’s removed.
South Africans were unsure what to make of the statement, with some taking it as a threat.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
