Gayton McKenzie under siege

Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has been the subject of controversy over the past few months, ranging from allegations surrounding improper board appointments in his portfolio to past racial slurs used on social media.

Most recently, reports have alleged that McKenzie misused funds from his portfolio to promote artists affiliated with his party, the Patriotic Alliance (PA).

This stems from a complaint made by West Coast politician Bumper Morgan, first reported by the City Press, which pointed to a festival in Saldanha funded by McKenzie’s department.

Morgan, who was formerly a member of the PA, stated in a Facebook post that the artists booked for the festival have previously campaigned for the party and performed at rallies.

The politician has addressed these concerns in an open letter he will send to the Public Protector, Parliament, the Auditor General, and the Electoral Commission of South Africa.

In it, he says that the funding for the festival comes from the Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) Fund, which is intended to optimise the economic benefit of the arts in South Africa through strategic investment.

“Public funds dedicated to arts, culture, and sport are intended to uplift communities, foster national heritage, create jobs, and support the sector based on merit and proven economic/social impact,” the letter reads.

Morgan pointed to allegations that the MGE adjudication panel is comprised of several active PA members, including McKenzie’s spokesperson, Steve Motale.

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Member of Parliament (MP), who is part of the Portfolio Committee responsible for McKenzie’s portfolio, made similar allegations when speaking to Newsday in September.

He alleged that a pattern has emerged where McKenzie dissolves boards or dismisses members, only to replace them with members of his own party.

“If I have people from my own party in these entities, who would say no if I tell them to do as I say as their president?” he said.

Similarly, the DA’s spokesperson on Sports, Arts, and Culture and MP, Leah Potgieter, told Newsday that several complaints have been made against the department regarding the MGE Fund.

She pointed out that Motale is the chair of the panel, which wasn’t declared as a conflict of interest. The other two PA members on the board are Vernon Vraagoom and Francisco Tejada.

The DA MP added that it is unclear what criteria are being used to analyse applications or who received funding from the entity.

PA deny allegations

According to the City Press, Gayton McKenzie has denied Morgan’s allegations.

PA spokesperson Steve Motale told Newsday that the party strongly denies the claims made by Mthethwa and Potgieter against McKenzie.

“The DA and the EFF are trying to sell the idea that only PA members have been appointed to these boards,” he said.

“An analysis of the make-up of most of these boards immediately shows that this is ridiculous.”

Motale added that McKenzie’s portfolio features a “broad array of board members” from across the social spectrum.

Festivals lose funding

This follows several MGE beneficiaries losing out on funding, which includes the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, the National Arts Festival, Suideroosterfees, and KKNK.

In response to a Parliamentary question from Freedom Front Plus Leader Dr Corne Mulder, McKenzie said that he is unsure why these festivals were turned down for funding from the MGE.

“I am aware that some festivals applied for MGE funding and were turned down in a funding process that I am not part of, as those funding decisions should be taken objectively according to the criteria, policies and guidelines for funding,” he told Mulder.

“I am currently looking into why these funding applications failed and what can be done to ensure that deserving festivals are supported.”

The Open Book Festival, which was also a former beneficiary of the MGE, had its funding cut during the 2025/26 financial year for the first time in five years.

When Rise Mzansi leader and MP Songezo Zibi asked why the funding was cut, McKenzie explained that the decision came from a meeting of the Minister, Members of the Executive Council (MinMEC).

“The reason for the festival’s discontinuation came about from the decision taken at a MinMEC to discontinue support for projects that had already benefited over the years of the Provincial Flagship programme,” he said.

“The meeting also agreed to support projects that were relatively new to grow them to larger-scale events.”

Zibi’s question was answered two weeks before Mulder’s was.

Morgan’s letter alleges that the resources denied to major festivals are being diverted to new projects and ‘community festivals’ which then feature PA-aligned artists and are used as de facto political rally points.”

Social media controversy

In early August, social media posts made by McKenzie, containing the k-word slur, resurfaced on X, formerly Twitter.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said that the posts, which date back as far as 2012, “are prima facie violations of the Equality Act,” and that it would be investigating them.

This means that, upon first impression, the content of the posts seems to violate the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (Equality Act).

SAHRC Commissioner Professor Tshepo Madlingozi said that the use of the slur has been deemed unlawful in South Africa, with the Constitutional Court saying that the word is “completely unutterable.”

Following the onslaught of parties publicly accusing the Minister of blatant racism, McKenzie said that he “could never be guilty of racism” but was guilty of posting “insensitive, stupid, and hurtful things a decade or two ago.”