‘Every Party Has a Base’: Gayton McKenzie Claims PA Takeover in Western Cape

• Gayton McKenzie used the SONA spotlight to claim the Patriotic Alliance is the fastest-growing party in South Africa.
• He declared the DA “in ICU” in the Western Cape and argued that every political party has a racial support base, including the PA
• His race-related comments sparked heated debate on social media, with users divided over his characterisation of South Africa’s political landscape

CAPE TOWN- As political leaders arrived for the State of the Nation Address (SONA), Gayton McKenzie wasted no time in staking his claim for relevance in South Africa’s shifting political landscape.

Speaking to the media outside the venue on 12 February 2026, the leader of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) described his party as “the fastest growing party in the country,” brushing off opinion polls that suggest otherwise.

“The polls are putting us nowhere, but it is different on the ground”, McKenzie said,

He set his sights firmly on the Western Cape, a province long governed by the Democratic Alliance (DA). Signalling the PA’s intention to challenge the DA’s dominance ahead of future elections, he boldly declared,

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“In the Western Cape, the DA’s time is over. The DA is in ICU.”

All South African parties are race-based

McKenzie also weighed in on the role of identity in South African politics, arguing that most political parties have a core demographic base.

“Go to any country in the world. Every party has a base. The ANC’s base is black, FF+ white, IFP Zulu, PA coloured,” he said.

While acknowledging the PA’s strong support among coloured communities, McKenzie insisted the party’s broader ambition is to bring different racial groups together under one political banner.

“The coloured people are organising themselves and successfully so, but we want to show them that we want to bring all races together,” he said.

Social media weighed in

McKenzie's remarks about race-based political support quickly set off debate online, with social media users sharply divided over his characterisation of party voter bases.

Gadfly342043 said:

"Once leaders start mapping politics by colour and clan, they abandon the idea of shared citizenship. That is not a strategy. It is surrender to division."

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@chumani_jack commented:

"Gayton is an example of the pitfalls of democracy; under a serious society, we would not be having such things in public office."

@RobertMtonga92 said:

"So Zulus are not black, or I am missing something."

@KhululekaM28065 wrote:

"So, according to Gayton: IFP = Zulu, ANC = Black, FF+ = white, PA = coloured. What is this, 1978? We don’t vote by bloodline. Some of us actually read manifestos."

@NathiJuju said:

"ANC adopted non-racialism as their core ideology. Is he still donating his salary, or he enjoying the perks?"

3 Briefly articles on Gayton McKenzie

Always one to utter controversial sentiments, Gayton MacKenzie stood by earlier pro-ICE remarks, in which he expressed support for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s approach to illegal immigration. MacKenzie said he spoke in his capacity as party leader, not as a government minister. His defence came amid public backlash, with many online critics mocking his comments and questioning his motives.

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McKenzie further defended his reduced use of the Abahambe slogan, saying his role as a Cabinet minister requires a different approach to public messaging. He explained that immigration policy now falls under the mandate of the Home Affairs Minister rather than his own portfolio. McKenzie’s explanation came after social media critics accused him of softening his stance on the issue, triggering renewed debate online.

Briefly News also reported that Gayton McKenzie has thanked the German Ambassador to South Africa for standing up in defence of the country in the face of white genocide claims. United States (US) President, Donald Trump,claimed that the white Afrikaners in South Africa were being persecuted and their land was being taken away.

Source: Briefly News