Gayton McKenzie exit: 4 times his mayorship made headlines

Outgoing Central Karoo mayor Gayton McKenzie has made headlines over the last year.

He this week tendered his resignation after occupying office since last year April. 

“I am resigning because I stated at my inauguration that I would serve for only a year and [that] arrived today,” he said in his letter to the speaker. 

McKenzie reiterated he was not running for Johannesburg mayor after many online writers linked his resignation to the postponement of the election of a mayor in the city.

“I am not in the race any more. I will be embarking on a tour of SA to canvass support for 2024. I am eagerly awaiting to see who will emerge eventually to give them maximum support,” he said. 

He said he believed he left the Karoo better than he found it and thanked coalition partners for keeping his administration “on its toes”.

He made headlines over the course of his tenure for several reasons. Here are some of them:

Giving up his salary

McKenzie said he never took a cent from the municipality throughout his term. 

“I took no salary and no perks whatsoever. I paid for my own bodyguards, travel and accommodation at all times. I donated my salary to the community.”

He disclosed his payslip and payment records last year after allegations that he had misled the public about giving up his salary.

The records show that of the R22,557.55 salary McKenzie earned in April, he apparently paid R3,500 for a family to say the body of their loved one at a mortuary, donated R16,000 to the Central Karoo Netball Club and donated R2,500 for netball tournaments.

McKenzie also spent R45,425 on suppliers and a clean-water project for Leeu Gamka.

Job creation

After announcing an ambitious deadline of two weeks last year, he opened six factories in the region to create job opportunities. 

“Today, the abandoned Transnet buildings are being used to boost the economy and create jobs through the manufacture of clothing, asphalt, aluminium infrastructure, a bakery, used-oil recycling, panel-beating, engineering works and more,” said McKenzie

“Being in business is never easy, and these entrepreneurs will always face challenges, but I am proud of my part in helping people to help themselves and their community.”

Refurbishing local swimming pools

McKenzie refurbished local swimming pools, which residents complained had been broken for years.

“I found six broken pools in a state of absolute disrepair. Anyone looking at the photos of those facilities was filled with a great sense of despair. Our children in those areas were not going to swim at the height of summer, but under my leadership five of those pools are working and the children swam and will swim again this year and in time to come.

“I found residents in Leeu Gamka drinking dirty water from asbestos tanks contaminated by dead animals, which had been the case for decades, but today they have clean drinkable water out of a modern tank with taps installed in every yard,” he said.