Kenny Kunene defends Gyaton McKenzie after publishing list of artists who received COVID-19 relief package

Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy leader Kenny Kunene has defended Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie’s decision to publish the list of artists who received relief funding from the State during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, it emerged the department paid out over R72 million in financial relief to more than 3,000 creatives between 2020 and 2021.

McKenzie has been widely criticized by political parties for making public the amounts paid to beneficiaries of the department’s relief package.

Speaking during a media briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday, Kunene said McKenzie was merely advocating for transparency in the use of public funds.

“We support minister Gayton McKenzie for being transparent and we call upon him to continue publishing the lists so that South Africans can be able to see who was supported.”

Kenny Kunene announces the arrival of his newborn son

Kenny Kunene and his wife Nonkululeko Mhlanga have welcomed their little bundle of joy into the world. Congratulatory messages flooded his timeline after he took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a video of him and his family arriving home with their newborn son covered in Versace blankets.

In the post, the Johannesburg transport MMC and businessman expressed his gratitude.

“On December 4 2023 my wife and I were blessed with a baby boy named Renny Seakhela Kunene. We thank the Almighty God and our ancestors for the birth of this healthy angel. May Renny grow up in the best health, intelligence, spiritual guidance, wealth, and love. We salute this patriot,” he wrote.

Everything you need to know about Mzansi’s Sushi King Kenny Kunene

Kenny Kunene’s mansion and cars have often thrust him into the top trends leaving many trying to connect the dots about his sources of income.

Kunene is a celebrated South African businessman, entrepreneur and politician. His colourful business profile has thrust him amongst South Africa’s rich list. Thanks to his hard work for years, he undoubtedly lives a life of glitz and glamour. In recent years, he has made many headlines on the political scene.

Kunene is the Patriotic Alliance’s deputy president and doubles as a mayoral committee member (MMC) for Roads and Transport in the City of Johanessburg.

However, Kunene has been topping trends lately as Mzansi tries to connect the dots about his mansion and cars. No doubt Kunene has managed to keep his private life under wraps leaving many to guess.

However, his lavish life has often let Mzansi sneak into his private life. Dubbed “Sushi King”, Kenny Kunene has wowed Mzansi with his bling.

BuzzSouthAfrica reports that Kunene has an impressive car collection that costs and fortune. Some of the cars reportedly owned by Kunene include:

911 Porsche Carrera
GTS Porsche Cayenne
BMW 1 Series
Lamborghini Gallardo Hybrid
According to TVSA, Kunene is also best known for owning the ZAR club franchise, which reportedly closed in 2013.

BRYANSTON HOUSE
Unconfirmed reports have it that he owns a mansion in the leafy suburbs of Johannesburg. According to his Instagram posts, he has an estate in Bryanston, Sandton, Johannesburg.

Of interest, reports also state that the president is also a resident of the leafy suburb.

However, little is known about how many rooms his house boasts with. Judging from social media pictures, it’s a double-story with cream paint. It has a giant balcony that gives the best scenic views.

Unconfirmed reports have it that he has several houses dotted across South Africa.
According to reports, the 51-year-old has three children from his previous marriage with Mathato Kunene and two children with his current wife Nonkululeko Whitney Mhlanga. Kenny Kunene and Mhlanga tied the knot in 2017 when Mhlanga was just 22 years old. The pair had reportedly been dating four years before their marriage.

His two children with Mhlanga, Remo and Reemona Kunene are “billionaire” babies as per their Instagram pages. In 2017, Kunene splashed R80 000 on a black and gold by Jeremy Scott pram and R8 000 on a Louis Vuitton towel for his son Remo. One of Kunene’s oldest children, Mpho Kunene is a YouTuber who currently has over 500 subscribers.

Video: Kenny Kunene calls Julius Malema a little cockroach as feud intensifies

It seems relationships are becoming strained as political leaders try to court each other in the race to form coalitions after the local government elections.

Kunene was a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) when it formed in 2013. He acted as the party’s head of campaigns, mobilization, and special projects, but resigned in August that year.

Since then, Kunene and EFF leader Julius Malema have had a few public squabbles.

In 2016, Kunene called Malema a ‘liar’.

“I founded the EFF… One of the reason that I left the EFF is exactly what is happening now in the EFF: The lies, the facade that is being put to the people of SA and the world that this is a revolutionary movement and that their leader is revolutionary man whereas he is the biggest liar,” Kunene said during an interview on Morning Live.

Their falling-out was fired up again on Tuesday as the deadline looms for political parties to form coalitions in hung municipalities. Kunene is the deputy president of the Patriotic Alliance (PA), the party that emerged as coalition kingmakers during the local government elections.

Negotiations between the EFF and PA seemed to stall, however, and on Tuesday, Malema said he was ‘conflicted’ about working with mapantiti (convicts). Kunene and McKenzie have both spent time in prison.

Malema on Gayton and Kenny. ? pic.twitter.com/8ClSJkCYZj

— African Renaissance???? (@MadiBoity) November 16, 2021

The row then escalated on Wednesday when Kunene called Malema a cockroach during a live interview on eNCA.

“I am going to deal with him. He must tell me I am a crook to my face. I will call the media and address these issues publicly, and tell them why I really decided to leave the EFF. We just have to conclude our coalitions, help form governments, then I will deal with this little cockroach called Julius Malema.”

@Ruraltarain Kenny Kunene is promising to deal with the ?… it's lit. pic.twitter.com/HYAkpY0Eoq

— Malose Marakalala (@CheMalose) November 17, 2021

The feud lit up timelines on Twitter as well. This is what some had to say on the matter:

I have a feeling that Kenny Kunene has got some dirty files on Julius Malema. ?

— Thabo (@tbozer) November 17, 2021

Malema has met birds of a feather in Kenny Kunene and Gayton.They are as brainless and ignorantly verbose as he is. Let the pigs dirty each other. ???????

— Errol (@errolbsk) November 17, 2021

Kenny Kunene must learn that you don't take everything personal in politics. Imagine if all politicians were to get angry over everything that is being said about them. pic.twitter.com/5IsVatOhYt

— National Best Seller (@TiyiBevhula) November 17, 2021

Kenny Kunene is angry????. He wants to fight Malema physically…there's nothing he knows about Malema that he has not spoken out yet. He's just going to waste everyone's time. This pantiti must just focus on eating sushi off naked women's bodies. Politics is not for sissies pic.twitter.com/Inn7bqCQ02

— Headless Idiot (@NoBrainer224) November 17, 2021

They can call us criminals, yes we did commit crimes 3 decades ago, we went to jail, we paid for our crimes, we share our riches because we know what it is not to have, we gave 17 000 food parcels during lockdown. Salute ?? pic.twitter.com/9kHfxWQnnF

— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) July 6, 2020

They can call us criminals, yes we did commit crimes 3 decades ago, we went to jail, we paid for our crimes, we share our riches because we know what it is not to have, we gave 17 000 food parcels during lockdown. Salute ?? pic.twitter.com/9kHfxWQnnF

— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) July 6, 2020