Society needs to actively fight to eliminate racism: Experts

Diversity, Culture, and Change Consultant, Bongani Tshabalala, says racism and sexism may never be fully eradicated, however he is hopeful that progress can be achieved through education.

His comments come in response to backlash surrounding Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie, after old posts from his X account resurfaced, showing him using racial slurs, between 2011 and 2017.

The posts have sparked widespread criticism, with growing calls for his removal from office.

McKenzie has since accepted responsibility for some of the tweets but rubbished claims that he is racist.

@encanews

Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie says he can’t apologise for something he didn’t do. He’s accused of posting racist tweets over a decade ago. It came after he called for accountability from the Open Chats podcasters. #DStv403 #eNCA

♬ original sound – eNCA

ActionSA has since complained to the South African Human Rights Commission.

🚫 Racism and the dehumanisation of any person have no place in South Africa!

We have reported Minister Gayton McKenzie to the South African Human Rights Commission for repeatedly using hateful Apartheid-era slurs to degrade and dehumanise black South Africans. pic.twitter.com/WRcQKbb58d

— ActionSA (@Action4SA) August 9, 2025

Tshabalala says that while full elimination of discrimination may be unrealistic, spaces for education and transformation remain crucial.

“We should continue to incorporate South Africa to provide opportunities for people to get trained in understanding diversity, in creating spaces for equity, and in building a more equal society. Wherever people gather, opportunities should continue to be used to educate in various societal structures or platforms we find ourselves, whether it’s in churches or in mosques, and so on. So we need to continue to do the work of changing our society,” he said.

Diversity specialist, Teresa Oakley-Smith, has also weighed in, expressing an opposing view.

She believes McKenzie’s past racist remarks disqualify him from his current role, as his portfolio has a rich history of being able to unify South Africans from all walks of life, and the minister overseeing it should be free from any racial, gender, or cultural prejudice.

“My view on this issue is that Mr McKenzie himself said that ‘once a racist always a racist’; he made this remark to the SABC regarding the podcast youngsters ( Open Chats ), and if this is indeed his view, then he needs to step down as minister of sport and culture,” Oakley-Smith said.

Oakley-Smith referenced the case of former DA MP Renaldo Gouws, who was dismissed and later publicly apologised for a racist video from 2010, saying the same standard should apply to McKenzie.

“McKenzie should face the same consequence—implying fairness and consistency.  What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander,” she added.

Legal and Governance Analyst, Leo Maphosa, shares the same views as Oakley-Smith and has labeled Parliament’s Ethics Committee decision to not take action against McKenzie as ‘legally sound.’

“Yet legal propriety alone does not satisfy the higher call of leadership accountability. True leadership demands integrity, moral clarity, and the consistent embodiment of values that inspire trust. The public does not pass the leader’s history into neat compartments. The past and present are inextricably linked,” Maphosa commented.

“To expect otherwise is to misunderstand the very fabric of public confidence. And this episode also casts a penetrating light on our mechanisms for vetting those entrusted to public office. I was sufficiently descending in our scrutiny of character and past conduct in an era where the digital imprint is indelible,” he added.

Maphosa emphasizes that leaders need to live up to higher moral standards as South Africans deserve leaders who earn trust through genuine integrity, not just technical compliance.

He has also expressed concern about double standards, as McKenzie wants others held accountable while avoiding responsibility himself.