By Johnathan Paoli
Patriotic Alliance (PA) president Gayton McKenzie has issued a fiery, emotional defence of his suspended deputy, Kenny Kunene, while reaffirming the party’s commitment to transparency and internal accountability.
Speaking to party members in a virtual address from London, McKenzie rejected allegations that the PA was shielding Kunene from scrutiny and insisted that no one, including himself, was above the party or its principles.
“Kenny is my brother. He is my confidant. But the PA comes before Kenny. It comes before me. We are not doing things under the carpet here. We’re not hiding anything,” McKenzie said.
The controversy stems from Kunene’s presence at the home of a suspect arrested in connection with the murder of popular DJ Oupa “DJ Sumbody” Sefoka.
Kunene has publicly maintained he was there with a journalist for a story and claims he was unknowingly caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Nonetheless, he was placed on a 30-day leave of absence by the party last week, pending the outcome of an internal probe.
McKenzie announced that a law firm would be appointed within 48 hours to lead the investigation and provide a full report to the public.
He emphasised that while he personally believed in Kunene’s innocence, the process must be impartial.
“I’m not the one doing the investigation. I can’t influence it. I was in Namibia at the time. But what I do know is that Kenny has explained himself to us, and now the investigators must verify what he said. That’s how transparent we are,” he said.
In his wide-ranging address, McKenzie slammed the idea of preferential treatment for senior members, saying the PA must apply one standard across all levels of leadership.
“We cannot have one rule for Kenny and another rule for patriots on the ground. That’s not leadership. Leadership is making uncomfortable decisions when they are right,” he said.
He cited past examples of discipline within the party, including the removal of a PA councillor in Beaufort West after alleged unauthorised conduct.
McKenzie used this to demonstrate that the party was not afraid to act when its values were threatened.
Following his suspension, Kunene has also resigned as a councillor and Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) in the City of Johannesburg.
In a swift move to stabilise the PA’s operations in the city, McKenzie confirmed that 24-year-old Liam Jacobs would take over as councillor.
“We want him to gain experience and help us fix potholes and continue the work that Kenny was doing,” McKenzie said.
Jacobs, a former Democratic Alliance youth leader and head of DASO until 2024, joined the PA only a month ago.
His appointment is seen as a strategic move by the PA to project youthful leadership and maintain political continuity in Johannesburg.
Jacobs has also been touted as a possible 2026 mayoral candidate in Tshwane.
Adding further pressure to Kunene’s situation, Democratic Alliance Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said whistle-blowers had alerted them to alleged irregularities in procurement under Kunene’s oversight.
One matter of interest, she said, involves the abrupt termination of a contract to repair Lilian Ngoyi Street in the CBD following a gas explosion.
The DA has called for a full investigation into the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and Metropolitan Trading Company (MTC).
McKenzie dismissed attempts to link the party or himself to any wrongdoing, including social media speculation tying him to the suspect in the DJ Sumbody case.
“I don’t know that man. I’ve never met him. I don’t even have a picture with him,” he said.
“Kenny is a socialite; I’m not. He knows everyone. But don’t drag me into this. This is not about Kenny. This is about the PA showing that we can stand up and do the right thing.”
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