Patriotic Alliance

Patriotic Alliance – Gayton McKenzie, president

Why should the Jewish community vote for you?

If you can name another prominent political leader who has stood up for Israel; the contribution of the Jewish community to South Africa historically and today; and who wants to turn around the fortunes of this country in a way that there can be a future for children of all faiths and creeds, including Jewish children, then I’d love to know who that is. At this point, I’d be left wondering why the Jewish community would want to vote for anyone other than me because even a party like the Democratic Alliance has shown cowardice in the face of the Hamas bullies, and has been hedging its position.

The South African Jewish community feels let down by the government and isolated in the country. What will you do to make sure that South Africa is a welcoming place for the community?

I hate bullies, and that’s what the Hamas lobby has become. It hides behind campaigns like the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions coalition and various forms of religious righteousness, but the bottom line that unites it is the call for the complete removal of anyone who isn’t Muslim from Israel. That’s a true call for genocide. The unfortunate thing is that this antipathy towards Israel has spilled over to South Africa’s Jewish community, whether they are Zionists or not. If Jewish people can’t even feel safe in Israel, then where should they feel safe? If they are told they have no business being in the holy land, then where should they go? Those who hate Jewish people don’t want them to be anywhere, and that’s the primary problem with hatred of Israel. They don’t want them in Israel, but we make them feel unwelcome and unsafe in supposedly “neutral”, “free” places like South Africa too. The Hamas apologists should hang their heads in shame.

We fought long and hard in South Africa for people to express themselves and their views without fear of repression or oppression. I’ve fought for the rights of minorities, including the Jewish people, with very limited power at my disposal. Can you imagine how much more I would do if I became president?

What’s your stance on South Africa taking Israel to the International Court of Justice?

I was opposed to it from day one, and still am. We had no business going there, but we all know it wasn’t South Africa who took Israel there, but the African National Congress (ANC) using its last months of unchecked power to please its global masters and funders, especially Iran. It was a slap in the face of the long-suffering people of South Africa, who daily face starvation, joblessness, no service delivery, and a murder rate of 27 000 people a year. If only the ANC could have shown as much concern about the needs of people here as it apparently does for the people of Palestine.

Antisemitism has been on the rise in South Africa, as demonstrated in the Judicial Services commission, Cricket SA, and Parliament, with attacks on Jewish institutions and schools. What would you do to tackle antisemitism of this nature?

Even if you disagree with Zionism, taking it out on all Jewish people is a simple excuse for antisemitism. I’ve already made an enormous contribution to fighting antisemitism by using my platforms to pay tribute to the contribution of the Jewish people to this country. Patriotic Alliance (PA) supporters have felt emboldened to show their support for religious freedom and to bless the Jewish nation as a fellow people of faith. We’ve also demonstrated that just because you’re Muslim, it doesn’t mean you should automatically hate the Jewish people. We continue to have Muslims in the PA who stand firm against the bullies, and understand that we’re promoting peace in the Middle East and a two-state solution to the problems between Israel and Palestine. They understand that we also love Palestine, and want a future where the children of Jews, Muslims, and Christians can thrive in the holy land. Our contribution to fighting antisemitism is already massive.

What’s your position on the relationship between Israel and South Africa? What would you want it to be?

My position is clear and unchanged. We need to fix this relationship, because Israel has so much it can offer as a friend to South Africa.

Should South Africa open its embassy in Israel and return its ambassador. If so, why? If not, why not?

South Africa needs to act in the best interests of our people, and we’re not doing that. We need to restore full diplomatic relations. However, remember that the legitimacy of this government will be tested in the elections on 29 May 2024, and then we’ll see what “South Africa” will do.

Explain your stance on foreign workers and the death penalty.

We believe that if you aren’t South African and want to work here, then you need to offer some kind of specialised and rare skill, or make a tangible investment in the country. We can’t have foreigners come here to take the jobs of people who live in a place with one of the world’s highest unemployment rates. Illegal immigrants need to go home and build their own countries if they are supposedly such hard workers.

We’re calling for reinstatement of the death penalty as a line in the sand against runaway violent crime in this country. We’ve heard all the clever arguments that sell the idea that the death penalty isn’t a deterrent against crime. But let’s see if the people we hang will rape and kill again.

We supposedly don’t have the death penalty in South Africa right now, but tell that to the tens of thousands of innocent people who lose their lives every year to murder. The death penalty is alive and well for them.

Under a PA government, respect for law and order, under G-d, will be restored.