Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie and DA member Liam Jacobs have become embroiled in a public political feud over a Facebook post about a bakkie crash.
McKenzie shared a photograph of the crashed vehicle on Saturday, 15 August, saying he had been told the occupants had been speaking about the Patriotic Alliance.
At the time, McKenzie wrote that he was glad nobody had been injured and told those involved to keep the PA’s name out of their mouths. It later emerged that a person involved in the crash had died in hospital.
Jacobs questions McKenzie’s response
Jacobs responded in a video, accusing McKenzie of politicising the death and questioning the humanity of the minister’s response.
He also criticised laughing emojis posted by some social media users beneath comments about the crash.
McKenzie later deleted his original Facebook post and said he had not known anyone was seriously injured when he published it.
He expressed sympathy with the deceased person’s family and said the PA would never celebrate someone’s death.
Feud escalates into warnings
The dispute widened when Jacobs accused PA national chairperson Marlon Daniels of making threatening remarks towards him.
According to the Cape Times report, Daniels hit back with his own warning, while McKenzie told Jacobs that the PA was “coming for” him.
The comments were made as part of a heated political exchange. No evidence was presented in the supplied report that any physical violence had followed.
McKenzie also threatened legal action after accusing another DA member of altering his original social media post.
Former allies now political rivals
The confrontation comes after Jacobs’ short-lived move from the DA to the PA.
He joined the PA in June 2025 after previously clashing publicly with McKenzie and later held a political position in Johannesburg.
Jacobs returned to the DA in June 2026, less than a year after his defection. The DA publicly welcomed him back.
Jacobs said at the time that he regretted joining the PA and believed he had been misled.
McKenzie responded by saying he had never trusted Jacobs and warned that the PA would respond publicly if Jacobs continued criticising the party.
Their latest confrontation has now brought that political fallout back into the spotlight.