DA Accuses Gayton McKenzie of Cadre Deployment After Probe Finds 19 Politically Connected Appointees

• The Democratic Alliance has weighed in on an investigation into Gayton McKenzie, which found cases of politically connected appointments
• The probe found that several people linked to his Patriotic Alliance (PA) party were appointed to public entity boards across several departments
• DA spokesperson Leah Potgieter said McKenzie must face consequences for what she called a disgraceful cadre deployment scheme

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

GAUTENG - The Democratic Alliance (DA) has accused Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie of using his position to place politically connected individuals into posts across public entities under his department.

The DA’s spokesperson on Sports, Arts and Culture, Leah Potgieter, made the statement after an investigation found appointees to several boards and directorates held ties to McKenzie's Patriotic Alliance (PA), either as members or as individuals with direct access to the party's leadership. Potgieter called the conduct a clear case of cadre deployment.

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The appointments span multiple institutions

The investigation found that the 19 appointments were across entities including the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the National Library of South Africa (NLSA), the National Arts Council, Boxing South Africa, and several theatres and museums.

The roles carry remuneration ranging from approximately R14,000 to R80,000 per year. Several of the positions involve oversight of public funding, management decisions, and the administration of productions, programmes and festivals.

Potgieter argued that the appointments bypassed merit-based selection in favour of political loyalty, raising concerns about the integrity of public institutions under McKenzie's watch.

"At least 19 senior government jobs are occupied by Gayton's own insiders, not by independent, non-political experts. Are South Africans to be excluded by McKenzie at every turn?" she asked.

McKenzie has not directly addressed the claims of the investigation, but hit out at News24, which investigated the appointments, accusing it of becoming a DA paper.

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More on Gayton McKenzie

• Briefly News recently reported on Lasizwe calling out Gayton McKenzie over the state of South Africa's entertainment industry and the future of the SAMAs.
• Gayton McKenzie made a claim about CCTV footage linked to the Reiger Park shooting, prompting South Africans to question what had happened to the evidence.
• The sports minister made an emotional appeal for information after the murder of former boxing world champion Zolani Tete shocked South Africa.

Source: Briefly News