Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
Patriotic Alliance (PA) Gayton McKenzie has vowed to donate his parliamentary salary to a missing children’s fund.
McKenzie’s party is the fifth biggest in the country after last week’s national and provincial elections, securing 677 719 votes, or 2.06% of the ballots cast. It secured them nine seats in parliament.
He is set to earn R1.27 million annually from parliament after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed off on a 2.5% increase just hours before the elections.
When criticised about his salary and perks, McKenzie said he “earned more from investments” every month. He then pledged to donate his parliamentary salary.
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“When white people enter parliament there is never talk about perks and salaries. I currently earn more from my investments per month.
“I will donate a hundred percent of my parliamentary salary to the Joslin Smith Foundation for missing children.”
Smith went missing from her Middelpos home in Saldanha, Western Cape, four months ago. Attempts to find her have so far failed, with leads going cold.
McKenzie and the PA pledged to assist the family find Smith, even offering a R1-million reward to anyone with information that would lead to her return.
Her mother, Racquel “Kelly” Smith, Kelly’s boyfriend Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis, and the couple’s friends Steveno van Rhyn and Lourentia “Renze” Lombaard, were arrested and charged with human trafficking and kidnapping.
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Their matter will be heard in the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court on 15 July 15.
Smith claims she left her daughter in the care of Appollis. But when she returned the girl was missing. Appollis denies being involved in her disappearance, claiming she had gone to play outside.
McKenzie has previously said he would boycott parliament if his coalition demands to be given the Home Affairs ministry is not met.
“We hope to get the minister of Home Affairs because we campaigned on that ticket. If we do not get that, I will not be going to parliament,” he told Newzroom Afrika.
McKenzie was this week ordered by the Western Cape High Court to cooperate with an investigation looking into alleged corruption in the Central Karoo District Municipality during his tenure as mayor.
At the centre of the allegations is a 2022 lavish Sandton gala dinner that reportedly raised R3 million. McKenzie is alleged to have said the funds would be used for service delivery projects in the Karoo, but the money never was.
He argued that he used his own money, over and above money raised by the fundraiser, to provide services in the municipality and so the fundraiser revenue did not belong to the local government but to him.
This argument was rejected by the court. The PA said it would consult with its legal team on the matter.
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