Gayton McKenzie pledges R100k towards BLF’s 2019 election registration
The BLF says it has to pay a deposit of R605,000 to the IEC by the end of January 2019 for it to contest elections next year.
Patriotic Alliance president Gayton McKenzie. Photo: @G_XCON
The president of the Patriotic Alliance (PA), Gayton McKenzie, announced in a tweet on Wednesday that he is pledging R100,000 for the Black First Land First (BLF) to register for next year’s general elections.
This as the BLF recently launched its crowdfunding campaign to register to contest elections next year.
McKenzie tweeted that he believes in the leadership capabilities of BLF president Andile Mngxitama and his deputy Zanele Lwana.
I’m pledging a 100k towards the election registration of @BLF_SouthAfrica. I believe in @Mngxitama & @ZaneleLwana leadership. We shall meet at the polls cadres , BLF is needed in parliament.
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) October 31, 2018
The decision taken by McKenzie was met with mixed reactions on social media, with some questioning why McKenzie would pledge money for a political party to register even though it is expected that the party will not perform well at the polls.
Other users questioned why the PA president pledged the money towards a political party when he could have invested it in a much more worthy cause.
McKenzie’s decision was also met with applause, with one user @botsangm replying to McKenzie’s tweet: “Black Love Brother G. You have long said any elections contestation without a united Black force will never deliver economic freedom. This is the start of Black Unity. We have to approach White Capital and DA like wild dogs. As a family or team.”
Black Love Brother G. You have long said any elections contestation without a united Black force will never deliver economic freedom. This is the start of Black Unity. We have to approach White Capital and DA like wild dogs. As a family or team.
— Botsang Modimo-wame Moiloa (@botsangm) October 31, 2018
The BLF’s Lindsay Maasdorp tweeted that McKenzie’s pledge was not only a novelty but also a show of black solidarity.
https://twitter.com/BLF_Lindsay/status/1057572054604673025
Dismissing a suggestion that the R100,000 pledge to the BLF could have funded the PA’s election campaign for next year’s election, McKenzie questioned: “Who says that we don’t have money for our election campaign at Patriotic Alliance?”
Who says that we don’t have money for our election campaign at Patriotic Alliance ? https://t.co/39CMG5RrJK
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) October 31, 2018
McKenzie further tweeted that people should “learn to make” their “own money before lecturing” others “what to do with” their “money”.
BLF asked the public for donations for 2019 elections, our brother @G_XCON pledged to donate 100K to BLF, Clever blacks are asking why he's not using his money on a good course but what Clever blacks don't know is that BLACK FIRST and LAND FIRST it's a good course for BLACKS. pic.twitter.com/4xsw0abU17
— I-AM-BLACK-FIRST (@mphikzo) October 31, 2018
Mngxitama was left speechless by McKenzie’s pledge. See his tweet below:
https://twitter.com/Mngxitama/status/1057647759141072896
https://twitter.com/Mngxitama/status/1057561836936142848
Thank you @G_XCON i have already done it , will do so in the near future pic.twitter.com/BlLt1Qre3p
— Siphiwe kaThobela (@gwambesm) October 31, 2018
(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)
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