Gayton McKenzie hits back at inquiries about promised Joshlin Smith 'Foundation'
Since promising to donate his monthly salary to worthy causes, McKenzie has been closely watched to see whether he puts his money where his mouth is.
FILE: PA leader and Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie says he's being true to his word to spend his ministerial salary on worthy causes.
Despite not yet having set up the promised foundation for missing Saldanha Bay schoolgirl Joshlin Smith, McKenzie said he didn't want to rush the matter.
After being called out by Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament Liam Jacobs on social media for not yet having established the foundation, McKenzie hit back, saying he was not about to please other political parties in how he spent his personal money.
Since promising to donate his monthly salary to worthy causes, McKenzie has been closely watched to see whether he puts his money where his mouth is.
He said while the Smith Foundation did not yet exist, it did not mean he was reneging on his undertaking.
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In a statement, he said it was a personal matter and he wanted to make sure he got it right.
McKenzie said a foundation in honour of the 7-year-old who's been missing since February must enhance existing work, that directors are carefully chosen, and that the foundation will exist beyond him.
Smith's mother is among the accused facing criminal charges related to her disappearance.
McKenzie said in the first months of his term, he focused on spending his salary on worthy causes such as spinning events, to which he’s donated over R200,000.
He earns a monthly salary of around R105,000 after tax and other mandatory deductions.
He's also donated R60,000 to the foundation of Springbok player Cheslin Kolbe, various artists, the Kagiso art gallery, and smaller sponsorships to individuals.
In response to a parliamentary question by the DA last month, Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe confirmed no paperwork had been submitted to register a non-profit organisation in Smith's name.
But she added the law did not make this mandatory.