Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader and Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie fired back on Liam Jacobs’s return to the Democratic Alliance (DA), declaring that neither his former party nor the DA would ever fully trust him again.
McKenzie’s remarks come after Jacobs announced his return to the DA following a brief but high-profile stint with the PA, where he had been elevated to president of the Patriotic Youth Alliance and touted as a potential mayoral candidate for Cape Town ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
Speaking during a Facebook Live broadcast on Monday evening, McKenzie accused Jacobs of dishonesty and warning him to stop speaking publicly about the PA.
“Leave us out of it. If you continue talking nonsense about the PA, we will deal with you on social media,” McKenzie said.
The PA leader said he had harboured doubts about Jacobs from the moment he joined the party and claimed he warned senior party officials not to place their trust in him.
“I called the national chair, Marlon Daniels, and told him, ‘Don’t trust him’,” McKenzie said.
“I told the secretary-general the same thing. I said, ‘This boy is not who we think he is.’ We never trusted you in the PA. Nobody trusted you in the PA. If you want to go, just go. We won’t talk about you.”
McKenzie went further, arguing that Jacobs may have returned to the DA but would continue to face questions about his political loyalties.
“The DA will never fully trust him, and neither will the PA,” McKenzie said.
He also accused Jacobs of misrepresenting the party and alleged that a statement announcing his departure had been prepared for him.
“You were given a statement to read. I have a soft spot for you, but don’t play with this party. Join whoever you want to join, but leave the PA out of it and don’t lie about us.”
The comments mark a deterioration in relations between the two politicians after the PA opened its doors Jacobs when he defected from the DA last year.
At the time, Jacobs described joining the PA as a homecoming.
“I looked into what the PA is, what it stands for, and the family that it is. I feel genuinely loved and welcomed here, despite what I’ve said and done in the past,” he said after joining the party.
“When the President announced me, I felt a calm and happiness unlike anything I’ve ever known. I could not stop smiling. I am finally home.”
However, Jacobs has now reversed course, announcing his return to the DA after what he described as a period of reflection and political introspection.
During a live Facebook broadcast announcing his return, Jacobs said the DA remained the strongest vehicle for those seeking to unseat the ANC.
“I can’t wait to see more and more people come to the DA so we can be the biggest party in the country. The DA is a party that is serious about defeating the ANC, so if you don’t want an ANC government and if you don’t want to be governed by the friends of the ANC, then you know where your home is.”
McKenzie though suggested the split had been brewing for some time, claiming senior PA figures had become concerned about Jacobs’ commitment to the party and his ability to connect with its support base.
“When he didn’t work the ground while we were working, we could see he was on his way out,” McKenzie said.
“He has never understood that the PA is not a middle-class or upper-middle-class party. We are on the ground. Our supporters are people with no money, no opportunities and no income. He could not speak to them, and he never did.”
The DA, meanwhile, has welcomed Jacobs back with open arms.
In a statement, DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said Jacobs had returned after witnessing what he described as the PA’s “politics of chaos and criminality”.
“Liam Jacobs left the PA because he saw firsthand that the PA never delivers on promises,” Hill-Lewis said.
He said Jacobs’ decision to return demonstrated maturity and courage.
“What matters is whether they are willing to correct course and recommit themselves to the work of building a better South Africa. That is a sign of maturity and braveness. Liam has done that and we welcome him back.”
Hill-Lewis rejected the notion that political disagreements should permanently destroy relationships.
“We do not and will never subscribe to the school of politics that says once a bridge is burnt it can never be repaired.”
Referencing comments previously made by Helen Zille when Jacobs left the party, Hill-Lewis said the DA had always believed he would eventually find his way back.
“Helen said: ‘We are not going to hate Liam, he is a talented young man who has made a mistake and he is going to figure it out,’ and she was right.” he DA will never fully trust him, neither will the PA’ — McKenzie fires back at Liam Jacobs
