McKenzie denies hate speech allegations, slams SAHRC

August 21, 2025 69

Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader, Gayton McKenzie, says he is innocent and ready to defend himself in court if necessary.

In a detailed letter to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), McKenzie argued that none of his old tweets, which recently resurfaced on social media, demonstrated an intention to incite harm or promote hatred.

The PA leader says he only found out through social media reports that the Commission was taking action against him.

“I view the SAHRC’s decision to go public with its “evidence” against me of “hate speech” as defamation, because they said these things before giving me a hearing, and without completing even a cursory investigation of any kind. Had they done so, they would have soon realised that they had misunderstood the “evidence” and that suggesting I could produce hate speech of any kind is not legally defensible,” he said.

📢 PRESS STATEMENT:
PA President Gayton McKenzie responds to the SAHRC.

Full statement here: ⬇️#OnsBaizaNie #Vision2026 pic.twitter.com/Rlx0rNGArY

— Patriotic Alliance (@OnsBaizaNie) August 21, 2025

McKenzie has been under fire after old tweets where he made racial slurs, between 2011 and 2017, were widely shared online.

“Not one of my tweets have demonstrated any intention to harm, incite harm, or promote hatred,” McKenzie said.

He has also slammed the Commission for causing him embarrassment regarding the whole situation, saying it talked to the media before properly notifying him.

“The SAHRC in this way made itself the prosecutor, the judge, the jury, the sentencer and the executioner – all in a single day’s work. What they did not do, was make themselves the investigator, because they have investigated nothing, questioned nothing and cross-examined nothing. They have merely taken at face value what social media and rival politicians told them I did,” McKenzie pointed out.

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Social media users have expressed mixed reactions to McKenzie’s statement.

Oh, so if you murder someone 15 years ago, you are no longer a murderer? Gayton Mckenzie was 36 years old, 15 years ago. Please don’t bore us further. https://t.co/Isf9AuptJO

— Bruno Fernandes’ #1 Supporter ❤️ (@Elidnihp_R) August 21, 2025