Apart from convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester, who faked his death and attempted to escape prison, no jailbird in South Africa has shown more chutzpah than Gayton McKenzie, the flamboyant Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture.
Since taking on the role in South Africa’s much-heralded Government of National Unity on 3 July 2024, Patriotic Front leader McKenzie has made several audacious promises that have left many scratching their heads.
The one-time gangster and convicted bank robber has boldly pledged to elevate
spinning as a sport for car enthusiasts.
“I will make spinning one of the biggest sports in this country. Spinning and stance [customising] are not crimes. Spinning is going to enter its rightful place. To all the spinners, I am here, and I'll make sure you get recognised,” McKenzie proclaimed.
Youngsters from Phoenix to Polokwane can start dreaming of getting national colours just for spinning if McKenzie spins his way.
Spinning involves driving cars at speed in circles and performing stunts in and out of the vehicle. It began in Soweto in the late 1980s and was performed as a funeral ritual.
Not content with his spinning vision, the fast-talking Minister dreams of putting the country’s name into the hat with a bid to host Formula One races in South Africa.
If Africa joins the crowded F1 calendar, it may happen by 2027, when Sir Lewis Hamilton is in the final year of his lucrative new Ferrari contract.
While this could ensure a fairytale race that brings down the curtain on the seven-time champion’s career in South Africa, let’s be real—it’s a pipe-dream. That’s also assuming Ferrari retains the under-performing multiple champion, who has more fashion sense than driving vooma.
South Africa has no divine right to host Formula One if it cannot fix the many things that keep the country broken.
For starters, robots and potholes? There are too many. Leave aside the daily frustration; what about the cost to the economy?
The government successfully hosted the 2010 Football World Cup, but the legacy of white elephant football stadiums and projects to benefit communities that never got off the ground remains.
As part of McKenzie’s remit, a Formula One Bid Committee, appointed by the Minister in December 2024, has called for promoters to enable the country to compete against Africa’s cleanest capital city, Kigali, for the rights to bring F1 to the continent.
Rwanda’s bid is driven by President Paul Kagame, who has undertaken to build a circuit to match the FIA’s expectations – and their greedy aspirations.
Kagame and Rwanda played host to the FIA general assembly and annual prize-giving in November, where the four-time world champion Max Verstappen served a penalty for swearing.
Given his tendency to operate at a snail’s pace, one must credit President Cyril Ramaphosa for not hijacking the Formula One bid like Kagame. Indeed, a charismatic driver is needed.
Ramaphosa’s slow decision-making won’t cut it in the fast-paced Formula One. McKenzie wants to show that nobody has more vooma than a streetwise gangster who has done time, right?
McKenzie took a dig at Rwanda, questioning whether the East African nation, whose Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is 30 times less than South Africa’s, may have what it takes to host an F1 race. South Africa’s GDP is 377.8 billion USD (2023), while Rwanda’s is 14.1 billion USD. Some argue that size does not count.
Rwanda has promoted the East African country to a global football audience for years, albeit via a London team with an overrated Spanish coach that constantly flatters to deceive.
They have been the bridesmaid for several seasons in England, poor Arsenal. But at least they guarantee a suitable plug for one to visit Rwanda.
Despite having considerably more in its arsenal than Kigali, South Africa has failed to earn its Spurs amid controversy over spending money on marketing.
Rwanda is clean, relatively safer, and has much more going for it than a spinning Minister in cuckoo land.
According to those in the know, there are no potholes in Kigali than in Johannesburg, and they keep the lights on, at least in Kigali, which is renowned for its cleanliness.
It pains one to call derelict Johannesburg the pigsty it is. That’s being kind.The FIA is concerned about safety in South Africa.
South Africa is infested with crime, and government officials are also tainted by corruption.
McKenzie ignored the mention of crime in his briefing, yet the committee may struggle to sell the country’s bid without addressing safety concerns.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, Rwanda is considered among the continent’s safest and most stable states. Only someone who has spent time behind bars would conveniently disregard the crime issue.
Leave aside Rwanda’s apparent claims. South Africa could find itself in competition with Morocco, a North African nation that last hosted an F1 race in 1958.
In its favour is the news that Morocco will become the second African nation to host a FIFA World Cup after South Africa in 2010.
Morocco and Saudi moneybags Ronaldo’s Portugal and Spain will co-host the 2030 World Cup jointly.
Morocco is also hosting the 2025 AFCON in December. Join the dots. South Africa does not have much going for it. The country last hosted a Formula One race in 1993 at Kyalami.
South Africa is inviting bids for a grand prix when a circuit exists, and much investment has already been made to bring it up to speed with the requirements of hosting a grand prix. Why reinvent the track?
Moderate estimates suggest staging a grand prix would cost around R5 billion, money the government does not have. The National Treasury could not even pass a Budget despite two failed attempts.
Would anyone expect the private sector to cough up this money and government with such a poor record of service delivery, excellence in corruption, failure to tackle crime, inability to leave the lights on or fix potholes, advise on the bid to host Africa’s first F1 race in over three decades?
Ironically, on January 8, the ANC celebrated its umpteenth birthday amid opulence and messages that paid lip service to the poor.
The Government of National Unity, which holds South Africa together like a piece of string, has pledged to dedicate the next five years to driving inclusive growth and jobs, reducing poverty, and tackling the high cost of living.
But it seems that the Sports Minister is spinning a yarn. Where does F1 fit in these loft goals? Furthermore, McKenzie must remember that South Africa owes the International Monetary Fund 310 billion USD in loans after the COVID-19 pandemic.
If the FIA, which is all about money, chose South Africa to host a future Grand Prix, where would the money come from?
However, the FIA is looking beyond South Africa. In December, it hosted its general assembly in Kigali. Johannesburg had not been cleaned up by then.
Asian countries, India and South Korea, which hosted failed grand prix in 2012 and 2013, respectively, losing millions, are bidding to return to the calendar.
As a fan, since the rivalry of Prost, the late Senna, and the dominant days of Michael Schumacher, I would welcome F1 to South Africa. It would bring tourism and create jobs.
But if the Sports Minister were true to himself, he would admit there’s more chance of hosting the Gayton McKenzie Inaugural Spinning Contest and bringing the dead to life a la Thabo Bester than witnessing Sir Lewis Hamilton’s F1 swansong in South Africa.
The FIA should stop stringing fans along – South Africa is currently in a hopeless place. Rwanda is our best bet.
©Higher Education Media
The author is a communications professional in the financial services industry
who also heads up