ATM demands investigation and removal of Minister McKenzie

THE African Transformation Movement (ATM) formally lodged a complaint against Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie, alleging racist remarks aimed at black South Africans and calling for an urgent investigation and his removal.

- THABO MAKWAKWA

The complaint, submitted to the Presidency, Parliament, and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests, centers on tweets the ATM said contain “racist slurs” directed at the black community.

McKenzie is embroiled in controversy regarding old social media posts dating back to 2011, shared on X (formerly Twitter) during his time as a businessman. The posts revealed the use of highly offensive racial slur towards blacks.

In one of his posts, he criticised the term ‘Black Diamond’ while using a racially charged term that many in South Africa consider reprehensible.

ATM parliamentary leader Vuyo Zungula drafted the letter on Saturday. It frames the matter as a constitutional and ethical crisis rather than a political spat.

Zungula asserted that the tweets “contain racially derogatory slurs directed at black South Africans, language that is both indefensible and deeply corrosive to the principles upon which our democracy is built”

He argued that the issue “is not a matter of political rivalry or petty offence. It is a matter of ethics, constitutional duty, and the moral fabric of the Republic.”