SAHRC escalates investigation against McKenzie over K-word tweet controversy

DESPITE Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie promising to engage directly with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) over the use of the K-word in old tweets, the commission has revealed that it has not received any response from the leader of the Patriotic Alliance (PA).

- SIYABONGA SITHOLE

This comes as the commission, in a statement, revealed that it will be taking the matter to the Equality Court. Early this month, SAHRC revealed that it has launched a formal investigation into McKenzie for 2009 tweets, in which he allegedly referred to black people in a divisive racial slur.

On Tuesday, the commission said it was investigating various incidents where people used the derogatory term, including one involving the hosts of the Open Chats podcast, who angered McKenzie, leading him to threaten shutting down the podcast.