Politician Gayton McKenzie of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) has espoused some controversial opinions regarding the US President Donald Trump amid strain between the two nations.
In a video shared widely on social media, McKenzie said not agreeing on certain things is normal and that does not mean you must not listen to those with different views.
"Listen, let me tell you something, before all these things, my friends knew I loved Donald Trump. I love that man. The PA knows. Now all of a sudden, I must not love Donald Trump? I have loved him since the days of his reality show," he said.
The Sports Minister went on to compare the love he has for the 47th US president to that of the one he has with his partner when there are fights but they find a way back to each other.
"I want to say that we can differ but, that does not mean that we must not listen to each other," McKenzie said.
A response on X claimed that McKenzie is a charlatan. "We told people that Gayton is an opportunistic grifter."
McKenzie defends Ramaphosa over Trump spat
However, McKenzie also supported President Cyril Ramaphosa in standing up to Trump over the disagreements between Pretoria and Washington in early February.
Speaking on Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh's SMWX podcast, he said that no president should be bullied.
"For me, it was brave what he said. But I want to say that America needs South Africa in particular and South Africa needs America. It's our second biggest trading partner. Where I think America is wrong, is that they believe this nonsense and they used improper channels, that's not how you speak to another president.
"A president shouldn't be reading on the internet what you think of their dissatisfaction. But the biggest thing America did wrong was to believe this saying 'White people are under siege'. That is not true," McKenzie added.
IOL
Get your news on the go, join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.