The DA wants Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka to launch investigation against Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie for allegedly breaching the Executive Ethics Code by operating a “jobs-for-pals” scheme and misappropriating nearly R110 million in public funds.
The party also wants McKenzie to be investigated over the controversial Fifa World Cup expenditure.
The party wants the office to investigate whether McKenzie has violated his oath of office as a Cabinet Minister, benefiting his insider circle and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) party.
DA spokesperson on Sport, Arts and Culture Leah Potgieter stated that a pattern is emerging from McKenzie’s tenure, where the Minister controls the criteria for appointing PA members and political associates, allocates public money to them, and subsequently evades, delays, and refuses to provide complete records when Parliament inquires.
The complaints centred around the appointment of the 2025/26 Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) adjudication panel of six members, which was tasked to distribute nearly R110m in grants to artists, festivals and cultural organisations.
The party said members included PA’s spokesperson Steve Motale, and Vernon Vraagom and Francisco Tejada who were identified as active members of the party at the time.
This comes after the DA accused McKenzie of dodging the Portfolio Committee and failing to appear in Parliament to answer to the administration of the millions in MGE grants.
In response, the PA has labelled the complaint as “nothing but a headline-seeking stunt with zero evidence”.
Motale said McKenzie has answered every single question put to him in Parliament on these matters already.
He said the minister has also answered publicly, both through official statements and responses to the media.
“He has never had anything to hide, and he has never ducked a debate, committee appearance, or follow-up question,” said Motale.
Motale said McKenzie has been cleared on every prior Public Protector complaint and every prior referral to Parliament’s Ethics Committee brought against him, adding that there is no reason to expect a different outcome now.
He also announced that the PA is finalising its complaint to the Public Protector against the DA, arising from the Resolve Communications matter involving former DA’s leader Tony Leon.
The Public Protector’s spokesperson Ndili Msoki confirmed receipt of the complaint, adding that the complaint in question is still at the assessment phase.
“Should the assessment reveal that there is sufficient information to proceed with an investigation, and it is determined that the Public Protector has jurisdiction to investigate the matter, the complaint will be allocated to an investigator who then commences the investigation process,” he said.
Earlier this year, the DA submitted a formal complaint to the Public Protector against McKenzie following his decision to unilaterally withdraw South Africa’s submission to the 61st Venice Biennale. The party argued that an independent and lawful institutional selection process had already been concluded before the Minister intervened to cancel the artwork, a piece by Gabriel Goliath that referenced the deaths of women and children in Gaza.
In a statement issued shortly after filing the complaint on Thursday, Potgieter said McKenzie’s own deputy minister and the department’s director general have confirmed that he personally set the requirements for the panel and made the appointments.
“This means that the minister determined the rules, selected the panel and appointed active members of his own political party to decide how nearly R110m would be distributed. To this day there is no full account of where this R110m went,” she said.
“The R110m fund was established on paper to create opportunities for artists and grow the creative economy, but appears to have created opportunities for the Patriotic Alliance, allegedly,” Potgieter added.
The second complaint relates concerns regarding the R31m Fifa World Cup and R7,9m for official travel in Mexico and the US.
Potgieter said this is a highly suspicious amount to have spent on just 18 people traveling on one trip.
“The Minister’s personal travel costs alone amounted to more than R1m for the Fifa World Cup. This must be investigated. While Gayton McKenzie spent R31m on going to the World Cup, South African sporting federations are struggling to survive,” she said.
The party requested the Public Protector to investigate maladministration in connection with the affairs of government at any level, including abuse or unjustifiable exercise of power or unfair, capricious, discourteous or other improper conduct or undue delay by a person performing a public function.
Potgieter also wants the office to look into improper or unlawful enrichment, or receipt of any improper advantage, or promise of such enrichment or advantage, by a person as a result of an act or omission in the public administration or in connection with the affairs of government at any level or of a person performing a public function.
manyane.manyane@inl.co.za
