McKenzie says he won't quit his job over false racism claims

CAPE TOWN - Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie said he won’t be quitting his job over false racism allegations.

McKenzie said while he's angered and humiliated by the false claims, he will subject himself to any investigation to prove otherwise.

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The Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader has been facing backlash after announcing last week that he plans to sue podcasters who made derogatory statements against the coloured community.

Since then, McKenzie said he’s become the victim of a political campaign, driven by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and spurred on by social media trolls.

McKenzie took to social media again on Sunday night to address supporters about the complaints submitted against him by political parties, saying the social media posts on which these have been based have been taken out of context.

He said in some instances, defamatory quotes and remarks are being attributed to him when he was calling out those who made them.

“In my entire life, I've never called anybody the k-word. Never. Let them show me, you Gayton, used the k-word when referring to that person. They can't.”

Detailing his heritage and mixed ethnicity, McKenzie said to call him a racist is illogical.

“Racism has a victim. Who's the victim? Who did I ever use the k-word to? That’s the first thing they must prove.”

In a post on X on Monday, McKenzie has apologised for insensitive tweets of the past decade.