Patriotic Alliance president and sport, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie says he does not mind the government of national unity spotlight, as his party's work speaks for itself.
Dubbing himself the most written-about the minister, he says he welcomes the publicity, whether good or bad.
“I do not believe that the ANC and DA are hogging the GNU spotlight. I'm the most written about guy in the GNU. There is no minister that gets more airtime than me, good or bad. But you guys write about me all the time. If I didn't get enough airtime with the 100th day celebrations, I must learn how they get the headlines.”
In an interview with TimesLIVE Premium, he said he is not concerned with how his GNU colleagues conduct themselves as his party approves of his progress thus far.
“I'm the minister that can't complain. I run away from the media sometimes. The media complains that they can't find me. The ANC is not hogging the spotlight, neither is the DA or myself. We like it, the more the merrier.”
A recent poll forecast that the ANC is increasing its electoral fortunes ahead of the next election as a result of its GNU configuration, which McKenzie described as "water off a duck's back".
“I am not concerned with the ANC being forecast as being one of the biggest winners of the GNU. What happens with the ANC, happens with the ANC. I'm concerned with what happens with my voters. The polls have doubled my support, so what do I have to complain about?”
He says his political party is satisfied with his work as minister in President Cyril Ramaphosa's cabinet.
“You must understand the Patriotic Alliance to understand me. The PA understands that I have been deployed not to be a PA minister. We are not insecure as the PA. I've been deployed as a government minister. So I am not here to just highlight my party, it's unfair for people that voted for other leaders.
“I represent even the EFF people. For me I am not going to come here and preach the PA, because I understand the PA. The PA doubled their support in the polls, none of the other GNU parties did. The people of the PA are the happiest with the GNU, so what more do I want?”
The EFF has recently criticised McKenzie's conduct in office, calling him “excited”. In addition, the party has also reported him to the parliamentary ethics committee over his recent Olympics trip, which has drawn controversy due to the amounts of money spent — which the minister insists is instructed by the ministerial handbook.
Once you put party before state, you are very shortsighted. This is because you can have the state without the party, but you cannot have party without the state. That's just who I am
— Gayton McKenzie
This past week, his colleagues — the ANC and DA — hosted political party engagements and celebrations to mark the GNU's 100 days in office, which McKenzie seems to be unfazed by.
“I think the fact that GNU partners are advertising or claiming government minister achievements as achievements of their own party is by choice. Every party has the choice. The achievements I highlighted today are not party achievements, they are South African achievements.
“I am the minister of South Africa, but I am the president of the PA. The PA are the happiest people you can find within the GNU. If you ask them whether I should resign, 99% of them will say 'please don't', and it's because they can see the work that we are doing.”
Despite the myriad of GNU collaborations, McKenzie says his priorities are straight.
“We can't put party before state — I put state before party, and the PA people know that. Once you put party before state, you are very shortsighted. This is because you can have the state without the party, but you cannot have party without the state. That's just who I am.
“I am not going to hog the glory for the wrong reasons. I am Gayton McKenzie, the minister of sport, arts and culture of South Africa — not of the PA.”
McKenzie said he has not forgotten about the sociopolitical issues that he championed in his manifesto that landed him a seat in Ramaphosa's cabinet.
McKenzie said he would relentlessly advocate for his party policies to gain centre stage in the GNU.
“As far as PA policy is concerned, we want to champion ‘abahambe’. We want black, whites and Indians to be acknowledged as South Africans. We don't want this thing where coloureds are not recognised as South Africans. We are fighting for gangsterism and crime to be dealt with harshly and decisively. We can't get everything we want, but surely we want to get some things that we want.”
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