POLITRICKING | Kenny Kunene reflects on his EFF exit, PA's future and the path to national influence

Patriotic Alliance deputy president Kenny Kunene criticised the recent White House meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump, saying it was inappropriate to include billionaires and golfers in a gathering meant for heads of state.

“I don’t think it was a good idea to have billionaires in a meeting of Presidents. I don’t think it was a good idea, and golfers, I don’t think it was good,” he said.
Ramaphosa’s working visit, included the presence of South Africa’s richest businessman, Johann Rupert, champion golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, as well as COSATU President Zingiswa Losi. 

While Losi and Rupert have been lauded for their input, the golfers have attracted mass criticism, with some suggesting they failed to help the country’s cause as it sought to dispel the myth that there was a genocide or that white Afrikaner farmers were under attack.

EWN understands the golfers were not there at the behest of the South African government, even though it took no issue with them being included as part of their delegation.

“He [Ramaphosa], put his ego aside and said let me go, and he went…,” Kunene said issues around the country’s economy, trade relations with the US and the upcoming G20 summit were sufficient reasons enough for the President to participate in a meeting, which has now been largely described as an “ambush.”
Kunene also joined many others who’ve criticised the President’s delegation for failing to push back harder against some of the allegations being put forward by Trump.

“When you go and contradict a perception of a person, you must be able to take evidence and present facts on the table so that when you leave there, they have a different view,” he said.

Kunene, who doubles up as the Joburg Transport MMC was this week’s guest on Politricking with Tshidi Madia, a politics podcast by EWN.

Beyond his firm belief that Trump was misled on the genocidal claims, he also discussed his portfolio in Johannesburg, dealing with civil servants who act with impunity and the failure to hold wrong doers accountable. 

Kunene also spoke of his party, the PA’s performance in the political space along with its future prospects.

The PA deputy president, for the first time, shed some light to his abrupt departure from the EFF. 

Kunene was one of the faces of the red berets when it launched but left after a short stint. The man once dubbed “sushi king,” over his penchants for eating sushi on naked women, refused to speak on the core issue that led to him walking away but suggested his presence posed a threat to Malema.

“I got to see Julius at closer range,” says Kunene complaining of the way the firebrand treated those around him.

He speaks of events around the Sasolburg area, where he claims supporters were chanting his name, calling to hear from him.

“When we walked in, we were holding hands, when walked out, we were no longer holding hands,” suggesting there was a view he had outshone Malema.
Kunene said Malema also attempted to push him into the background, labelling the move as selfish, even further suggesting that the EFF leader feared his growing popularity in the organisation.

But he insisted this was not the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“I'll still have to talk about that one, because I was not prepared to do certain things,” he said refusing to give more details on his decision.

On the PA itself, Kunene said he, together with Gayton McKenzie took the decision to start the party as opposition to the approach of career politicians to the country’s political problems, with McKenzie raising concerns around the lack of focus by different parties on the plight of the coloured community.

Kunene said they first sold the idea of the PA in Cape Town, even approaching different churches and gangs on the party’s vision.

It’s been a slow rise for the party, which emerged as more critical player, a kingmaker following the 2021 local government elections. It’s used its numbers in the 2024 general elections to secure a place and portfolio in the national space through the Government of National Unity (GNU) – with McKenzie serving as the Arts, Sports and Culture minister.

“We are the only party that’s growing organically. We are taking the steps in our growth,” he said.

“Those that took the lift, we saw what has happened to COPE because he took the lift. We saw what happened to Agang because they took the lift. We are seeing now the EFF is also declining because they took the lift, because there were parties that came out of factions of the ANC. We are taking the stairs,” he continues.

Kunene maintains that theirs is an organisation with no room for democratic practices, insisting the presidency, led by McKenzie, who he deputises will lead until they feel it’s time to hand over, but there will be processes that allow for them to be voted out of power.

“It's not a fault line those that, those that worshipped this word democracy are in the grave. COPE was destroyed by a conference. Agang was destroyed by a conference, the person who founded Agang was expelled out of her own party, the EFF is being destroyed because there was a conference coming,” he said.

Kunene said following the current pattern of other parties would lead to their demise.

He wraps up by predicting the PA will continue its growth trajectory, gaining more influence in the next cycles of elections.