The Democratic Alliance said it would lodge a third Public Protector complaint against Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie on Thursday, 4 September 2026, marking its third such filing in eight months. The party has not yet disclosed the specific allegations in the new complaint, according to reports first published by IOL on 1 September 2026.
The DA previously filed a complaint on 23 July 2026, accusing McKenzie of breaching the Executive Ethics Code through appointments and public spending. That filing centred on the Mzansi Golden Economy programme, which involved nearly R110 million in public funding and a six-member adjudication panel, as well as approximately R31 million spent on a 2026 FIFA World Cup delegation to North America.
The DA alleged that three of the six panel members — Steve Motale, Vernon Vraagom, and Francisco Tejada — were active Patriotic Alliance members at the time of their appointment. The party said departmental figures showed roughly R7.9 million on travel, R6.7 million on a legends exhibition match, more than R3 million on tickets, and R10 million on programme activities.
McKenzie appeared before Parliament’s portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture on 4 August 2026 to account for the World Cup spending. He told Parliament his own travel cost just over R1 million for five weeks and that he turned down subsistence allowances worth R55,000.
I have no regrets — I can account for every cent that was spent.
McKenzie made the remark during a parliamentary session, as reported by News24. He had earlier publicly defended the spending on 19 July 2026, saying there was nothing to hide.
McKenzie is displaying Olympic-level performance at ducking parliamentary accountability, but the DA will not let taxpayer money be abused.
DA spokesperson Leah Potgieter said in a statement reported by IOL. The DA also said public money should not be used to strengthen political positions.
The DA has once again thrown a bundle of recycled allegations at the wall in the hope that some of the mud will stick.
The Patriotic Alliance said in response to the July complaint, rejecting the allegations as politically motivated. The PA said the claims lacked evidence and had been recycled from earlier filings.
The DA’s first complaint against McKenzie was filed on 23 January 2026 over his decision to withdraw South Africa’s participation in the Venice Biennale. That makes the September filing the third in eight months, fitting a pattern of escalating political scrutiny around the minister’s conduct in office.
The exact content of the new September complaint remains unknown, as the DA had not disclosed details at the time of reporting. It is also not confirmed whether the complaint will be filed at the Public Protector’s head office in Hillcrest Office Park, Pretoria, as only one source reported that detail. Cape Flats News journalist Nadia Adams will check for updates on 4 September 2026 after the complaint is expected to be lodged.