PA's McKenzie upbeat on chances of GNU seeing out a full term
Gayton McKenzie said that the Government of National Unity was one of the best things that could ever have happened to the country.
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie and his deputy, Peace Mabe, at a briefing at Parliament on 16 July 2024. Picture: Lindsay Dentlinger/EWN
CAPE TOWN - Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie believes the Government of National Unity (GNU) will see out a full, five-year term.
In fact, he said he wanted to be the glue that held it together.
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader is one of several ministers from opposition parties who have appeared upbeat in Parliament this week, as they outlined their spending plans for the new financial year.
On Tuesday, McKenzie pledged to uplift struggling sports people and artists alike in a revamp of the department.
McKenzie said that the Government of National Unity was one of the best things that could ever have happened to the country.
"I never thought I can tweet about Leon Schreiber of the DA. I never thought the people of the DA will praise some of the work I'm doing. This is all foreign, but it's all great for the country."
As a betting man, he believes it will last but McKenzie is not naive about what could go wrong.
"There will always be vulnerabilities because people always want to dethrone you from power. I would be dishonest to say there’s not going to be. That’s the art of politics."
While still riding the wave of this new euphoria, McKenzie said that he was hellbent on his department playing its role as a national unifier.