South Africa—29 Jun 2026

All the companies linked to Gayton McKenzie

Gayton McKenzie, South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture and Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader, has numerous companies linked to him.

McKenzie is one of the country’s most controversial politicians due to his criminal past and the unconventional way he runs his party.

He joined his first gang at 13, became a soldier in it at 15, and at 16, he started his own gang. “My life consisted of going in and out of jail,” he said.

His criminal life resulted in a 17-year sentence at Grootvlei Maximum prison. Instead of being distraught about it, McKenzie was over the moon.

“Going to jail or killing someone in the gangster world means you have made your bones. It’s like a badge of honour. Going to jail was my badge of honour,” he said.

He continued his life of crime and gangsterism in prison and made it to the top. “Nothing happened in that prison without my say so,” he said.

“I lost my way at a young age. I saw the inside of a cell before I saw the inside of a matric exam hall. I literally grew up in jail, where I spent my whole twenties,” added McKenzie.

However, meeting Kenny Kunene and a brutal incident in jail changed his life, and he decided to bring corruption in prisons to light.

He secretly taped and exposed corruption and abuse taking place at the prison, which led to an official investigation.

After a decade in prison, he was released. His early release was tied to his exposure of corruption within the South African prison system.

Following his release from prison, McKenzie started speaking at schools and youth events, warning kids about gangs and crime.

As his profile grew, he successfully packaged his hustle and survival mentality for the corporate world.

He became one of South Africa’s most sought-after corporate motivational speakers, drawing large audiences by using raw, unfiltered storytelling.

He also wrote numerous books, which became bestsellers in South Africa, starting with The Choice: The Gayton McKenzie Story.

Other books include A Hustler’s Bible, The Uncomfortable Truth, Trapped, Kill Zuma By Any Means Necessary, and A Hustler’s Bible, The New Testament.

Gayton McKenzie, the businessman

After leaving prison, McKenzie got a job at Chubb Security, where he rose through the ranks and played a big role in the company’s operations.

He left Chubb Security to join Nike. He then moved into mining and started a business selling fish, which exclusively hired ex-prisoners.

“I started nightclubs, soon sold those and invested in mining, and I also started a publishing company,” he said.

McKenzie established the first black-owned mining consultancy firm, which struck it big with numerous deals.

One of these was with Goldfields, one of the world’s largest gold mining companies, which was one of his clients.

The 2010 Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) transaction with Goldfields, worth R2.1 billion, was not without controversy.

amaBhungane reported that a large portion of the BEE deal, over R330 million, was allocated to McKenzie’s associates, friends, family members, and business partners.

Recipients included his neighbours, his mother-in-law, a local hairdresser, former business managers from his nightlife ventures, and his wedding best man.

These negative reports did not stop McKenzie, and he was not scared to display his newfound wealth. “I became a dollar millionaire and became very flashy,” he said.

However, fate struck, which changed his life. “I got involved in a severe car accident in one of my sports cars, and I wasn’t supposed to have survived that accident,” he said.

“I survived, which restored my faith in God, and it changed my whole outlook on life. I became a full-time dad and had new dreams,” he said.

Gayton McKenzie becomes a politician

Gayton McKenzie joined politics, but it was not an easy path to the top. There was one failure after another.

“OnsBaizaNie was the joke on social media after every election result. However, I didn’t give up,” he said.

“I had to find new members after every election because people would leave us after our loss at the polls. I kept going and going.”

His party, the Patriotic Alliance (PA), showed good growth and became the kingmaker in many municipalities across the country.

“Today, the Patriotic Alliance is represented in local, provincial, and national government, and we are a force to be reckoned with,” he said.

It made its Parliamentary debut after the 2024 elections, winning 9 seats with 2.06% of the vote.

It continues to gain traction across the country, winning ward by-elections off both the ANC and DA.

On 3 July 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Gayton McKenzie as South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture in the Government of National Unity (GNU).