South Africa’s Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie is under fire after old social-media posts surfaced in which he used the apartheid-era “K-word” for Black people. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has given him until the end of Wednesday to delete the posts, apologise publicly and respond to further demands.
McKenzie, leader of the Patriotic Alliance (PA), has built support among “coloured” communities—people of mixed heritage who make up about 8% of the population—and entered government last year when President Cyril Ramaphosa included the PA in a multi-party coalition after the ANC lost its majority. The minister has often condemned racism and recently criticised a podcast for derogatory remarks about coloured people, a spat that triggered a police complaint and an SAHRC inquiry.
After activists resurfaced his decade-old posts, McKenzie said he regrets the language but rejected accusations of racism, describing himself as a “black-skinned coloured” and citing his anti-apartheid activism. Critics say his stance is incompatible with his portfolio’s mandate to promote social cohesion; supporters argue coloured communities feel overlooked in post-apartheid policy.
The SAHRC will decide on next steps after his response. The row also poses a political test for Ramaphosa’s coalition, which values McKenzie’s appeal to coloured voters while facing pressure to uphold anti-racism standards.