CCN Reporting
Cape Town:- The “Open Chats Podcast” recently caused a public storm after making controversial remarks about the coloured community.
The comments quickly drew widespread criticism from political parties and community leaders alike.
In the aftermath, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, falsely accused the SABC of being involved with the podcast. He has since retracted his statement and issued a formal apology to the SABC, acknowledging that his earlier claims were unfounded and that he wanted to set the record straight.
Meanwhile, Parliament’s ethics committee has decided not to investigate McKenzie over a series of old racist tweets posted between 2013 and 2017. The committee explained that he was not a Member of Parliament at the time, and they therefore have no jurisdiction to act.
This latest twist in McKenzie’s political career drew so much attention, that the initial outrage over the Podcast Trio’s remarks has largely faded from public focus. Still, many in the community say accountability is needed, whether it’s for past tweets or for recent statements.
Public comments:
“So if you weren’t in Parliament when you made the comments, it doesn’t matter? That’s a dangerous loophole.” – Cape Town resident
“The podcast trio got away with it too easily. Both cases show why people have lost faith in leaders.” – Community activist from Mitchells Plain
