Minister Gayton McKenzie says he is not backtracking from a posting by his department
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Gayton McKenzie has hit back at detractors labelling him 'a racist' following vacancies advertised in his department that excluded Black African applicants.
Taking to social media on Tuesday, McKenzie said he cannot lead an unrepresentative department.
"I can never lead a department that is so unrepresentative of society. I’m being accused of racism by people who really need to look in the mirror," McKenzie fired back.
He said out of the 586 staff in the DSAC, 531 were African (Black), 32 White, 19 Coloured and four Indian.
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McKenzie who heads up the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, came under fire at the weekend after his department issued a job ad giving preference to Coloureds, Indians and Whites.
Responding to criticism, McKenzie said he is for all races.
"When I find that other races are being ignored and rarely given a job opportunity, it is my duty to fix it, I’m fixing things. I want all races to be represented in the Department that I lead, go boil somewhere else," he said.
The General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA) called for McKenzie's removal from the DSAC portfolio.
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Calling the posting "crudely racist", GIWUSA's Mametlwe Sebei, said it was a "flagrant act of systemic exclusion against African candidates and a blatant violation of the law."
However, taking to social media, McKenzie backed the advert.
"Coloureds, Whites and Indians should also get job opportunities. You can't threaten me with Unions. I will not retreat or retract," he said.
seanne.rall@iol.co.za
IOL
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