The Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has apologised for posting racist tweets, admitting they were insensitive, stupid, and hurtful.
McKenzie said this in a statement posted on his X account on Monday, expressing regret.
His statement comes after he came under fire following the resurfacing of racially charged tweets he posted years ago on his X account.
The controversy, reignited by X users demanding his resignation, has sparked widespread debate about the minister’s past statements and his fitness to hold office.
The uproar began after McKenzie publicly challenged the hosts of the Open Chats Podcast for their derogatory remarks about coloured people, labelling them “crazy” and accusing them of engaging in incest.
Derogatory term
In response, X users unearthed old tweets from McKenzie containing insensitive and racial remarks, including the use of the derogatory term “k*ff*r” to refer to black people.
In one tweet, McKenzie, the leader of the Patriotic Alliance, wrote: “Words like ‘black diamond’ basically mean you are a better k*ff*r; stop naming and giving nonsensical titles to blacks.”
Another tweet reads: “Any black person that complains about white people adopting black babies needs to be shot; f*ck culture.”
However, McKenzie showed humility on Monday.
In a statement posted on his X account, he expressed regret.
“I did tweet some insensitive, stupid and hurtful things a decade or two ago. I was a troll and stupid. I cringe when seeing them, and I am truly sorry for that. I shall subject myself to the investigation,” he wrote on Monday.
Despite the apology, McKenzie firmly denied accusations of racism. “I can never be guilty of racism; try some other takedown, but never racism.”
Kunene supports McKenzie
He emphasised his personal ties to the black community.
“I am a son of a black woman, I have children with a black woman, and I fought my whole life for the same treatment between black and coloured people because we fought the same struggle.
“I call out racism; I generally always include myself when speaking about black issues.”
The controversy has drawn support from McKenzie’s deputy Kenny Kunene, who argued that the focus on old tweets is a deliberate attempt to distract from the minister’s efforts to address offensive comments made on the Open Chats Podcast.
“His crime was to defend coloured people and take action against those insensitive, rude, and arrogant young people. I and all members of Patriotic Alliance know that our president is not a racist,” said Kunene
As calls for McKenzie’s removal intensify, the minister has vowed to cooperate with any investigations into his past conduct.
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