ActionSA Welcomes Human Rights Commission Investigation and Prima Facie Finding on Gayton McKenzie’s Racist Posts
Alan Beesley MP
ActionSA Member of Parliament
ActionSA welcomes the confirmation by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) that it is investigating our complaint against Minister Gayton McKenzie’s racist social media posts, and its prima facie finding that his deplorable utterances do in fact violate provisions of South Africa’s equality laws.
Following the surfacing of the Minister repeatedly using hateful slurs from the apartheid era, along with other offensive references that served to degrade and dehumanise black South Africans, ActionSA lodged a complaint with the SAHRC. We maintain that South Africa cannot have a sitting Cabinet Minister who holds such views, whether past or present, without being held to account.
Importantly, the SAHRC has confirmed exactly what ActionSA argued in our complaint. Minister McKenzie’s remarks, as stated in their media release, constitute prima facie violations of the provisions of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (Equality Act), warranting that the Minister be held accountable.
ActionSA looks forward to the Commission communicating the next steps in holding the Minister to account. We also urge the SAHRC to furnish an update on the investigation into the Open Chats Podcast regarding repugnant comments made against the coloured community.
Racism must be confronted with consequences, no matter who the perpetrator is or their status in society. It is in this context that we are also awaiting an update on our complaint against Minister Dean Macpherson for his deeply offensive and racially charged attacks on ActionSA supporters, in which he referred to them as “amaphara” and “hobos.”
Non-racialism is a founding value of ActionSA, anchoring our belief in protecting the dignity of every South African. We call on the President to uphold this principle in holding a member of his Cabinet to account, as we cannot accept a scenario where a sitting Minister representing all South Africans has expressed such deeply concerning views.
ActionSA Welcomes Human Rights Commission Investigation and Prima Facie Finding on Gayton McKenzie’s Racist Posts
ActionSA welcomes the confirmation by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) that it is investigating our complaint against Minister Gayton McKenzie’s racist social media posts, and its prima facie finding that his deplorable utterances do in fact violate provisions of South Africa’s equality laws.
Following the surfacing of the Minister repeatedly using hateful slurs from the apartheid era, along with other offensive references that served to degrade and dehumanise black South Africans, ActionSA lodged a complaint with the SAHRC. We maintain that South Africa cannot have a sitting Cabinet Minister who holds such views, whether past or present, without being held to account.
Importantly, the SAHRC has confirmed exactly what ActionSA argued in our complaint. Minister McKenzie’s remarks, as stated in their media release, constitute prima facie violations of the provisions of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (Equality Act), warranting that the Minister be held accountable.
ActionSA looks forward to the Commission communicating the next steps in holding the Minister to account. We also urge the SAHRC to furnish an update on the investigation into the Open Chats Podcast regarding repugnant comments made against the coloured community.
Racism must be confronted with consequences, no matter who the perpetrator is or their status in society. It is in this context that we are also awaiting an update on our complaint against Minister Dean Macpherson for his deeply offensive and racially charged attacks on ActionSA supporters, in which he referred to them as “amaphara” and “hobos.”
Non-racialism is a founding value of ActionSA, anchoring our belief in protecting the dignity of every South African. We call on the President to uphold this principle in holding a member of his Cabinet to account, as we cannot accept a scenario where a sitting Minister representing all South Africans has expressed such deeply concerning views.