Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie is bullish and unwavering about his support for the work of US President Donald Trump and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ahead of the looming Fifa World Cup in June. Bafana Bafana have qualified for the soccer spectacle and will play in the opening match of the tournament against Mexico.
Millions of South Africans feel that McKenzie’s utterances are not aligned with the stance of the government and are a spit in the face of human rights.
With the heavy-handed and sometimes racist approach of ICE, the safety of South African supporters travelling to America for the football tournament has become a thorny issue and worrying factor, something that McKenzie is brushing aside.
Despite these concerns, McKenzie is openly voicing his support for ICE, and its enforcement approach. “I totally agree with ICE and we must do the same here,” said McKenzie earlier in the week during an interview with sports agency Sportsboom.co.za.
“I cannot criticise something that I want in my own country. If you want to go to the World Cup and you have a visa, what problems do you have? If you go through the proper processes of attaining a visa, you will be fine. I won’t be politically correct –viva ICE! I agree with Donald Trump,” the minister said.
This has not gone down well with millions of South Africans, especially under the ongoing diplomatic cold war between South Africa and the USA.
On Friday, McKenzie was bullish in his response: “As minister of sport, arts and culture, my focus remains firmly on delivering on my portfolio and contributing constructively to the work of the GNU. As president of the Patriotic Alliance, I remain true to the policy positions, language and principles that define our movement.
“For the sake of absolute clarity, I wish to place on record that my recent public remarks expressing support for US President Donald Trump and the work of ICE were made in my capacity as president of the Patriotic Alliance, not in my capacity as minister.
“Matters of immigration, border control, home affairs, and foreign policy do not fall within my ministerial portfolio.
“Since joining the government of national unity as minister … I have respected cabinet discipline, and I do not speak on behalf of the government on these issues. Being part of government does not mean abandoning the principles that earned us the trust and support of our voters.
“While I respect that there is a prevailing government position that currently holds sway within the GNU, I will not sell our voters short.
“As leader of the Patriotic Alliance, I support strong and decisive enforcement-led approaches to illegal immigration, because I believe that sovereign nations have both the right and the responsibility to control their borders, to enforce their laws, and to protect their citizens.”
Said Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri, “Citizens are encouraged to conduct their own assessments of the conditions in the countries they may visit. We urge citizens to contact the South African embassy in the country of interest. Minister McKenzie has stated that the comments he made were as the leader of a political party. Therefore, the comments do not represent the government’s policy.”
