These posts,
which target Black South Africans with derogatory language, have sparked
renewed public outrage, especially in light of McKenzie’s recent vocal stance
against racism.
The posts were
shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) when McKenzie was a businessman and the
leader of the Patriotic Alliance. In one of his posts, he criticized the term
‘Black Diamond’ while using the racially charged term that many in South Africa
consider as reprehensible.
Political
commentators and social media users have not held back in their criticisms,
labelling McKenzie a hypocrite for pursuing legal action that resulted in the
cancellation of the Open Chats Podcast over its offensive remarks about the
Coloured community, while simultaneously engaging in racially charged rhetoric
himself.
As the backlash
builds, McKenzie and Patriotic Alliance are yet to publicly address the
resurfaced posts. However, on Friday evening he wrote on his X account that:
‘This whole campaign to find something racist I ever said is hilarious because
you have now gone 13 years back and can’t bring out one racist thing I ever
said. I always and still fight that Coloureds and Blacks are one people being
treated differently mistakenly.’
Meanwhile,
ActionSA has reported McKenzie to the South African Human Rights Commission
(SAHRC) for the racist remarks he made, which included the use of outdated and
degrading slurs from the Apartheid era.
The party has
stated, ‘While we hold reservations about the effectiveness of the SAHRC, it
remains the constitutionally empowered institution mandated to address such
matters. Accordingly, we will follow the prescribed process, but are fully
prepared to independently institute proceedings at the Equality Court in terms
of Section 20 of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair
Discrimination Act,’
Earlier this
week, ActionSA condemned various vile comments aimed at the Coloured community,
but they are now taking a firm stand to confront all forms of racism, holding a
Cabinet Minister accountable for statements deemed indefensible by reasonable
standards.
‘Today, we do
the same in confronting racism in all its forms by holding a sitting Cabinet
Minister accountable for comments that no reasonable person can defend as
anything other than racist and demeaning,’ the party asserted.
Kenny Kunene,
the suspended deputy president for PA, defended McKenzie, saying he has never
been, is not and will never be racist.
‘His mother is a South Sotho woman from the Batho location in Mangaung, and his father is coloured. I know him better than all of you. Even in prison he brought a team together for an exposé made up of Black, White, Indian and Coloured inmates,‘ Kunene said.
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