Minister of sport, arts and culture Gayton McKenzie has denied allegations linking him to drug dealing, describing the claims as baseless and part of a co-ordinated attempt to tarnish his name.
Speaking on Facebook Live on the Patriotic Alliance page, McKenzie said he has always despised drugs, even during his past life of crime.
“People that know me know that even in my days of crime, I hated drugs and I still hate drugs. I just hate it,” he said.
The allegations surfaced during testimony before the parliamentary ad hoc committee probing corruption within the police and criminal justice system. KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was questioned about a letter from a prisoner, Jermaine Prim.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, MK Party MP David Skosana asked Mkhwanazi about claims that Prim had a voice recording allegedly linking McKenzie to drug dealers and drug money.
Responding, Mkhwanazi clarified that much of the letter relayed second-hand information.
“My reading and understanding of this … almost all the paragraphs are narrating the stories of what he was told by [Cat] Matlala, but in paragraph seven only, he is then expressing his own frustration,” said Mkhwanazi.
“So the people he talks about in this paragraph … are him telling ‘Cat’ Matlala. That’s when the minister’s name and other names are coming in,” said Mkhwanazi.
McKenzie dismissed Prim’s claims outright, accusing him of fabricating stories.
“This guy, you know, he talks stuff. He doesn’t have a car or a house in his name but he said he gave me R2m. How can you give a person that you’ve never met R2m?” he said.
Read: Who is Steve Motsumi? Mkhwanazi labels him ‘most feared’ criminal boss
“He says he sold drugs for me in jail. Why would I move him to C-Max, where you can’t sell drugs, if he was selling drugs for me?”
The minister also criticised Mkhwanazi for presenting the letter without verifying its contents.
“Where I got hurt was when Gen Mkhwanazi was not testing that evidence … I have got kids. I’ve got family. To go and read that thing that I’m a drug dealer. As a cop, he’s supposed to know better,” he said.
“They did a stitch job on me … Why didn’t they bring that evidence at the beginning when they got it?”
According to Mkhwanazi, the letter reached him via the MK Party and was addressed to its spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela.
He acknowledged it was hearsay but said several claims in it aligned with information already presented before the committee and the Madlanga commission of inquiry.
Prim alleges he shared a cell with businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility and detailed their conversations in the letter, which has not yet been made public in full.
Meanwhile, PA deputy president Kenny Kunene also rejected the allegations, questioning Prim’s credibility.
“I want to put on record, Gayton McKenzie is not involved in drugs, I am not involved in drugs,” Kunene said.
Kunene claimed that Prim had been targeting McKenzie and the party for years, alleging he had access to a cellphone in prison and used it to spread accusations via WhatsApp groups.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba also became involved in the controversy, indicating his party intends to pursue legal action against McKenzie.
Mashaba said ActionSA would lay intimidation charges after the remarks McKenzie made about MP Dereleen James during the Facebook Live conversation.
“I was quite shocked,” Mashaba said in an interview, adding that McKenzie referenced taxpayer-funded security and told James to “watch herself”.
McKenzie defended his comments, saying he was merely recounting a conversation with his security team.
“I am 24/7 with security … even now, there is security outside my house. How did it threaten anyone when I share my conversation with my security … I always say, ‘the road is long’. It basically means what you sow, you shall reap,” said McKenzie.
Mashaba said the dispute stemmed from questions James had raised in parliament regarding McKenzie’s “extravagant and regular international travels” and alleged lack of accountability.
“These issues are not emanating from street corners. They emanate from parliament,” Mashaba said.
He added that the party had begun consulting its legal team and that James would be required to open a criminal case.
“I really require her to lay criminal charges of intimidation against the minister … we are the last people to really be intimidated by anyone,” he said.
TimesLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.