By Johnathan Paoli
Calls are mounting for the suspension and investigation of Sports, Arts and Culture Minister and Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie following allegations by convicted fraudster Jermaine Prim, sparking political outrage, legal threats and renewed scrutiny of South Africa’s correctional system.
The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and civil society group Forum for South Africa (FOSA) have urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to act, with demands ranging from McKenzie’s suspension to his dismissal
“It should be noted that Minister Gayton McKenzie previously leaked information regarding fraud at Grootvlei Prison to the media program ‘Special Assignment’,” MKP spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said.
“Yet today, he appears to take a contradictory stance, criticizing similar disclosures when an inmate reveals information about him via a Johannesburg prison landline.”
The developments follow a controversial interview on eNCA in which Prim made allegations linking McKenzie to a drug cartel and accusing him of facilitating communication from inside prison.
He claimed that McKenzie was involved in a range of misconduct, including acting as a proxy for a drug trafficking network and facilitating criminal operations linked to a so-called “Big Five” cartel.
Prim said that McKenzie assisted in smuggling cellphones into prison, enabling him to coordinate political campaigning for the PA from behind bars, before later using political influence to have him transferred to the high-security C-Max facility in an attempt to silence him.
He further claimed to possess recordings implicating McKenzie in illicit financial dealings and accuses him of interfering in his legal cases through connections within law enforcement, while also suggesting links to intimidation and violence involving individuals connected to the party.
Prim has since been transferred back to the high-security C-Max facility at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre, a move the MKP claims is retaliatory.
The party said it viewed the Department of Correctional Services’ response to the interview with “concern”, suggesting it was more focused on damage control than accountability.
“It is obvious that the Department’s response is less about procedural breaches and more about managing public perception amid revelations of its systemic failures,” Ndhlela said.
The party went further, alleging that Prim’s transfer to C-Max appeared to be an attempt to silence him, and raised serious human rights concerns.
“It has also come to our attention that he has been subjected to torture through electrocution by the Head of Prison at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Center, Mr. Ntsizi Qebengu, and has been beaten and deprived of food for the past three days. These constitute grave human rights violations requiring immediate intervention,” Ndhlela said.
The MKP called on Ramaphosa to suspend McKenzie “to allow for fair investigations”, and urged the Madlanga Commission to probe the claims and subpoena witnesses, including Prim.
Separately, FOSA has echoed calls for action, urging the President to fire McKenzie, describing the allegations as deeply damaging to public trust.
“It is deeply alarming that a sitting Minister is alleged to have facilitated access to communication devices for an incarcerated individual. This enabled campaign activities from within prison, a blatant breach of correctional regulation and a direct assault on the integrity of South Africa’s justice system,” spokesperson Tebogo Mashilompane said.
He said that no leader entrusted with public office should be associated with actions that undermine the very institutions meant to uphold the law.
However, McKenzie and his party have strongly denied all allegations, dismissing Prim’s claims as baseless and politically motivated.
Through spokesperson Steve Motale, McKenzie announced he would pursue legal action against multiple parties, including the Department of Correctional Services and eNCA.
“McKenzie will be taking legal action against the commissioner and minister of correctional services, eNCA, its editor and journalist Heidi Giokos in her personal capacity,” Motale said.
Motale questioned how the interview was conducted, stating: “It is extraordinary that a convicted inmate is able to conduct an unsupervised media interview while making serious criminal allegations, without any evidence at all.”
McKenzie himself rejected any links to criminal networks, including the so-called “Big Five” cartel.
“I do not know who this so-called ‘Big Five’ is. I have never met anyone whose name has been mentioned in connection with it, and I categorically deny any links to such individuals,” he said.
He further dismissed Prim’s credibility, arguing that no evidence had been presented, describing the saga as a coordinated political attack ahead of upcoming elections.
Prim, who has been incarcerated for more than eight years, appeared briefly in court on Monday, but his sentencing was postponed to July.
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