Johannesburg, South Africa – Gayton McKenzie, the President of the Patriotic Alliance and a former convicted criminal, has sparked controversy with his recent social media post regarding illegal immigrants in South Africa. McKenzie, who served time in prison for bank robbery, took to Twitter on Friday to express his support for the deportation of all illegal immigrants in the country.
“The biggest white racist r fighting tooth & nail 4 illegal foreigners without giving a damn abt jobless South Africans,your one-sided empathy expose your racism. We will mass deport each and every illegal foreigners, audit all legal foreigners & close businesses hiring illegals,” McKenzie wrote in his tweet.
The post has since been met with widespread criticism from various groups who have accused McKenzie of promoting xenophobia and racism. Many have pointed out that McKenzie himself is a convicted criminal and that his comments could incite violence against foreign nationals living in South Africa.
The Patriotic Alliance, a small political party that McKenzie founded in 2013, has been vocal about its anti-immigrant stance in the past. The party has called for the mass deportation of all foreign nationals and has accused them of taking jobs away from South Africans.
However, McKenzie’s comments have been condemned by several political leaders in the country, including the African National Congress (ANC). The ruling party has called on McKenzie to retract his statements and to stop promoting hate speech.
“The Patriotic Alliance’s call for the mass deportation of foreign nationals is xenophobic and has no place in our society,” said Pule Mabe, the ANC’s spokesperson. “We call on Mr. McKenzie to retract his statements and to stop promoting hate speech.”
South Africa has a significant immigrant population, with many people coming from other African countries in search of better economic opportunities. However, this has led to tensions between immigrants and South Africans, with many blaming foreigners for high unemployment rates and other social problems.
McKenzie’s comments are likely to exacerbate these tensions, and many are calling for him to be held accountable for his words. Some have even suggested that he should be charged with hate speech, which is a criminal offense in South Africa.
As of yet, McKenzie has not responded to the backlash over his comments, but many are urging him to clarify his position and to promote unity and tolerance instead of division and hatred.
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