McKenzie threatens 'mass exodus' of all elected PA officials if Kunene not reinstated to CoJ mayoral committee

Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has threatened a "mass exodus" of all elected Patriotic Alliance (PA) officials should Kenny Kunene not be reinstated to the City of Johannesburg's mayoral committee.

The PA leader said that Kunene's swearing in as a City of Johannesburg councillor was also not good enough and only his full reinstatement would make him change his mind about resigning from the Government of National Unity (GNU) on Tuesday as promised.

McKenzie addressed his pending resignation and fallout with the African National Congress (ANC) in Joburg during a ceremony to commemorate political prisoners who served time on Robben Island on Saturday.

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Kunene was sworn in again on Friday after his resignation as City of Johannesburg mayoral committee member and councillor two months ago.

An independent probe cleared Kunene of wrongdoing after he was found at murder-accused Katiso "KT" Molefe’s house during a police bust.

But PA leader McKenzie said his swearing as a councillor did not go far enough.

"That's not good enough for us. Our deal is not for him to be a councillor. Our deal [with the ANC] is he will be MMC for roads and transport. If Tuesday Kenny Kunene has not been told he's going back, I will resign. It will not only be me, the whole PA, all the Speakers, you will have a mass exodus."

McKenzie said Kunene resigned before the conclusion of the investigation to protect him from what he called media attacks and continued scrutiny.