Cape Town – Patriotic Alliance leader and Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie joked that if he were in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s position, he would have responded less diplomatically to Rwandan President Paul Kagame, using the Afrikaans insult “Jou ma se”.
However, he went on to praise Ramaphosa’s maturity in handling the situation.
He was speaking during an interview on SMWX podcast.
“I used to call him ‘consultative Cyril because he consults too much… He is a very effective leader, he listens to a lot of opinions… but at the end of the day, he then takes a decision being formed by all our… He is not impulsive,” McKenzie said.
“I listened to him this morning. We were at the golf course and somebody said to him ‘What is up with Kagame? Why don’t you go for Kagame? He is going for you.’ And very calmyly he said ‘I’m a president…’
MacKenzie added: “If I was the president, and Kagame came for me like that, I would have come the same way. ‘Jou ma se,’ you did that and that….”
“There is a lot of maturity in him.”
HUH!? 😳😳😳😂😂😂 Gayton McKenzie says if he was a president and Paul Kagame came to him the way he did to Cyril Ramaphosa he would’ve said;
“Jou ma se pose!,”? 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/jjjri7Vsva
— YaseBlock B 🇸🇿 (@ThisIsColbert) February 9, 2025
McKenzie’s comments come amid a heated dispute between Ramaphosa and Rwandan President Kagame over the deaths of 14 South African soldiers in the DRC.
Ramaphosa has blamed Kagame’s forces and the M23 rebel group for the deaths, while Kagame dismissed these accusations as disinformation, even accusing Ramaphosa of sending troops for personal mining interests in the DRC.
McKenzie also reflected on his past criticism of Ramaphosa, admitting that he once “hated” him and had spoken harshly about him.
He said he was initially ashamed when Ramaphosa included him in the Government of National Unity (GNU), but he now admires the president’s ability to look beyond political differences.
He further praised Ramaphosa’s leadership style, noting that while some may find his consultative approach excessive, it makes him an effective leader.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
