SA Sports Minister McKenzie Under Fire Over Past Use Of K-Word

South Africa’s Sports Minister, Gayton McKenzie, has apologised for what he described as “insensitive” past remarks, after several posts he made on X (formerly Twitter) between 2013 and 2017 resurfaced in which he used the K-word multiple times.

The “K-word” is a euphemism for the highly offensive racial slur “kaffir”, comparable in impact to the “N-word” in the United States.

Historically, it was used during the colonial and apartheid eras to demean and dehumanise Black Africans and is now classified as hate speech under South African law.

McKenzie’s resurfaced posts, containing racial slurs, have triggered widespread public outrage.

Responding on X, McKenzie said he is the son of a black woman and has fought his whole life for equal treatment between black and coloured people, as they shared the same struggle.

This followed his recent public calls for accountability and punishment over a controversial episode of the Open Chats Podcast targeting the coloured community.

In his statement, McKenzie denied being racist and said his past comments were made out of ignorance. He said:

“I can never be guilty of racism, try some other take down but never racism.

“I did tweet some insensitive, stupid and hurtful things a decade or two ago. I was a troll and stupid.

“I cringe when seeing them and I am truly sorry for that. I shall subject myself to the investigation.”

McKenzie’s old tweets have prompted both ActionSA and the African Transformation Movement (ATM) to call for an investigation by the South African Human Rights Commission.

Both parties have also urged Parliament and the joint committee to remove him from his ministerial position.

McKenzie, who identifies as mixed race, has further argued that coloured South Africans face marginalisation. He said:

“Coloured ppl don’t enjoy the same privileges as Black ppl in South Africa, although we fought the same struggle.

“This is and has always been my fight. Coloured people are screaming out for help but no one is hearing them.”

More: Sowetan

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