SAHRC Confirms It Will Take Gayton McKenzie to Court Over Racist Tweets, South Africans Divided
- The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has made a decision on what to do about Gayton McKenzie
- The SAHRC was investigating the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture over old tweets in which he used the K-word
- South Africans weighed in on the commission's plans going forward, sharing mixed reactions to the decision
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG – The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will be taking Gayton McKenzie to court over his tweets.
The SAHRC has been investigating the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture over old tweets he made, in which he used the K-word.
ActionSA filed a complaint with the SAHRC after tweets made by the Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader resurfaced. The posts were uncovered shortly after the PA initiated legal action against a group of podcasters over comments they made about the Coloured community.
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When will the court case be heard?
Speaking about the investigations, SAHRC commissioner Professor Tshepo Madlingozi confirmed that the matter would be going to court.
"We have taken a decision to take the minister to court," he said.
Madlingozi made the comment at an M20 event on Tuesday, 02 September 2025. He added that the commission had sent the minister an "allegation letter" but didn’t receive a response from him.
"As long as the tweets are still there, we will be going to court on an urgent basis," Madlingozi added.
Source: Getty Images
What did the SAHRC’s investigation find?
In August 2025, the SAHRC said that the posts constituted prima facie violations of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (Equality Act).
The minister claimed that the SAHRC defamed him by releasing what he called preliminary findings without conducting an investigation or giving him a hearing.
What do you need to know about the McKenzie saga?
- McKenzie apologised for the tweets that have resurfaced from over a decade ago, but South Africans were not having it.
- South Africans roasted the minister after he said his controversial tweets were taken out of context.
- Numerous parties and individuals have called for McKenzie to be removed from his ministerial post.
- McKenzie issued a defiant statement when he said that people don’t know what’s coming if he’s removed.
- PA Deputy President Kenny Kunene has defended party leader Gayton McKenzie amid the controversy of his past tweets.
- ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba bashed McKenzie’s apology for the tweets, describing it as unacceptable.
How did South Africans react to the news?
Social media users weighed in on the SAHRC’s statement, sharing mixed reactions to it. While some welcomed the decision, others said there were more important things to focus on in the country.
@Recon1_ZA stated:
“Yes, this should fix our crime, unemployment, and corruption problems in government. We're very sensitive about words, but when it comes to our real problems, it’s crickets.”
@Nelisiwe94 stated:
“Good. No racist should be allowed to sow division and continue practising what our parents died for in this country. “
@majoyana31 asked:
“Don’t they have anything else to do besides that?”
@MokwadiMo stated:
“Thank you, SAHRC. We don't care if the tweets are new or old.”
@SmiloMkhize_ said:
“For the first time, they are being useful.”
@OriginalDyan added:
“Ramaphosa is dealing with Gayton. He might not be dealing with him the way we want to, but he is dealing with him. And when he is done with him, he won't just be removed from the cabinet, he will be removed from politics.”
@musangwe032072 stated:
“Crazy stuff. The HRC is taking Gayton to court for something he said 14 years ago, while citizens are drinking dirty water with animals, but the HRC has done nothing for them.”
@VinceMc248857 said:
“They are taking too long. This should have been done already. This guy must account for his irresponsible utterance.”
@unyazi_
McKenzie claims the allegations are politically orchestrated
Briefly News reported that McKenzie said he would not apologise for posts he said were deliberately taken out of context.
The Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture stated that he believes he was being targeted as part of an orchestrated campaign.
South Africans shared their thoughts on the Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader's latest claims about the resurfaced tweets.
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Source: Briefly News
