Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture Gayton McKenzie. File Picture: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture Gayton McKenzie has retaliated against EFF leader Julius Malema for referring to him as a “lepantiti” (jailbird). McKenzie described Malema as a “cockroach”.
This tense exchange of words started when Malema made fun of the minister of Sports during a National Council of Provinces (NCOP) meeting in Cape Town on Wednesday.
“That person is a jailbird and to refer to him as such is not untruthful, he also stated that he is one. He is proud of that,” Malema said.
The Red Berets leader rose on a point of order and refused to retract his statement, calling McKenzie “lepantiti”.
“A minister who is a jailbird. He is a jailbird and I don’t have time for that,” he continued. Malema was then removed from the virtual platform.
However, McKenzie, who withdrew his remarks, made a hard-hitting comeback on the EFF’s performance in the Western Cape during the elections.
“I want to make it clear, I don’t mind you calling me a ‘bandit’, but I want to make you aware of one thing – here in the Western Cape, my name was on the ballot as Gayton McKenzie, and your name was on the ballot as EFF.
“People looked at both of them, but they decided to vote for a bandit,” he said.
When it comes to those who attack him, particularly politicians, McKenzie is renowned for not holding back.
In July, during the debate on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address at the opening of Parliament, McKenzie referred to EFF member Mbuyseni Ndlozi as the “ice boy” of Malema.
“You always talk about education, honourable Ndlozi, Your peers are delivering papers while you are an ice boy here being sent around, you must not come to me. Don’t tell me about education.”
This was after Ndlozi took aim at McKenzie saying he was illiterate and uninformed about now MK Party deputy president John Hlophe’s opinions on Roman Dutch law.
McKenzie had said that he would assist offenders convicted by Hlophe, the impeached judge of the Western Cape High Court, in appealing their terms.
This is as a result of Hlophe's inquiries and requests that the legislation be examined.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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