Gayton McKenzie given deadline to apologise, undergo sensitivity training and delete posts
South Africa’s sport, arts and culture minister, Gayton McKenzie, is under investigation by the country’s human rights commission for historical social media posts containing a highly offensive racial slur, reigniting a debate about racism, identity and the lingering effects of colonialism and apartheid.
McKenzie, an anti-immigrant populist from the Coloured community with a history of stirring up controversies, was given a Wednesday evening deadline by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to issue an approved apology, undergo sensitivity training, donate to an agreed charity and delete the X posts, which were still online at the time of publication.
The posts came to light after the hosts of a podcast called Open Chats said on an episode that Coloured people committed incest and were “crazy”. The podcast segment was later removed.
McKenzie’s Patriotic Alliance party, which got 2% of the vote in 2024 national elections and draws its support mainly from Coloured people, filed complaints with the police and the SAHRC. McKenzie told the national broadcaster: “There should be no place to hide for racists.”
