---
title: "Gayton McKenzie’s Blu Label visits raise fresh questions over Ticketpro sale"
description: "Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie made repeated visits to JSE-listed technology group Blu Label before it sold its Ticketpro subsidiary to a consortium linked to his political party, fuelling suspicions about his influence on the controversial deal."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "CAUGHT OUT"
authors:
  - name: "Ferial Haffajee"
    url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/ferialhaffajee/"
  - name: "Pieter-Louis Myburgh for Scorpio"
    url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/pieter-louis-myburgh-for-scorpio/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-26-gayton-mckenzies-blu-label-visits-raise-fresh-questions-over-ticketpro-sale/"
published: "2026-10-26T05:40:53"
updated: "2026-10-26T07:04:04"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 1094
---

# Gayton McKenzie’s Blu Label visits raise fresh questions over Ticketpro sale

> Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie made repeated visits to JSE-listed technology group Blu Label before it sold its Ticketpro subsidiary to a consortium linked to his political party, fuelling suspicions about his influence on the controversial deal.

By Ferial Haffajee and Pieter-Louis Myburgh for Scorpio · Published 26 October 2026, 07:40 SAST · Updated 26 October 2026, 09:04 SAST

## Key points
- Sport Minister Gayton McKenzie visited Blu Label’s Sandton offices repeatedly while the company was negotiating the sale of Ticketpro.
- Ticketpro’s new owners have strong links to McKenzie and the Patriotic Alliance, including his former chief of staff as CEO.
- The deal is under scrutiny because Ticketpro holds exclusive ticketing rights for major sporting bodies overseen by McKenzie.
- McKenzie and Blu Label insist the sale was arm’s length, but unanswered questions about the visits are fuelling suspicion.

## Content

Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie visited the Sandton head office of listed technology group Blu Label on several occasions while the latter was finalising the sale of its ticketing business, Ticketpro.

Earlier this month, [Daily Maverick revealed that Ticketpro’s new owners](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-05-gayton-mckenzie-ticketpro-cricket-south-africa/), a “women-owned broad-based black economic empowerment consortium”, have strong links to McKenzie and his political party, the Patriotic Alliance (PA). The transaction saw McKenzie’s former chief of staff, Bakang Lethoko, taking the helm as Ticketpro’s new CEO.

The deal raised eyebrows as Ticketpro is the [exclusive ticketing vendor](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-05-cricket-south-africa-world-cup/) for Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the South African Football Association (Safa), both of which fall within McKenzie’s oversight.

Industry insiders have also expressed concern that Ticketpro might benefit from future sporting events for which McKenzie and his department are actively canvassing. If, for instance, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture were to succeed in bringing a Formula One race to South Africa, the PA-linked ticketing company would be in pole position to secure the ticketing rights, our sources suggested.

![Blu Label Media and TicketPro offices in sandton, October 2026. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/sXfj6blLZRf33MIh4t2JeQdoAew=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/StumpedDMCSAinvestigation4_707346.jpg)

*Blu Label Unlimited’s head office in Sandton, Johannesburg. (Photo: Felix Dlagamandla)*

McKenzie strongly denied that he played a role in the Ticketpro transaction or that he could influence Ticketpro’s ticketing contracts. Blu Label, founded and run by brothers Brett and Mark Levy, insisted that the sale of its former subsidiary had been an “[arm’s-length disposa](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-07-blu-label-ticketpro-ownership-mckenzie/)l”.

But new details regarding McKenzie’s visits to Blu Label’s Sandton offices cast doubt on those denials, especially as the visits seemingly overlapped with the Ticketpro sale.

### **‘Ministers are allowed to have friends’**

Daily Maverick has learned that McKenzie had visited Blu Label’s offices on Grayston Drive in Sandton throughout 2025. He also visited the premises earlier this year, during which time Blu Label was negotiating the sale of its former subsidiary to the PA-linked consortium.

Blu Label has told Daily Maverick that the Ticketpro deal was concluded in May this year, following an “unsolicited bid” from the women-owned consortium. It is not clear when the consortium first approached Blu Label.

“Gayton was at Blu’s offices in April \[2026\], and he also spent time there throughout 2025. He sometimes arrived there in a black Mercedes SUV,” said one of our sources.

According to another source, the minister sometimes entered Blu Label's premises via a second gate on Benmore Road instead of the main Grayston Drive entrance.

Asked whether the minister’s presence at their offices might create an impression that the Ticketpro sale had not been an arms-length deal, Blu Label stated: “The company has answered all reasonable commercial questions and has nothing further to add.”

![Bakang, Union Buildings. (Photo: Source/Supplied)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/JtRkKtDNirpnI-Tkl8D0_fAPmhg=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/StumpedDMCSAinvestigation03_803058.png)

*As Gayton McKenzie’s chief of staff, Bakang Lethoko (third from right) accompanied the sport minister to the Union Buildings in 2024. (Photo: Source / Supplied)*

McKenzie admitted that he had visited the offices. Save for referring to a longstanding friendship with the Levy brothers, McKenzie did not address specific questions about the reasons for his visits.

“The minister has been ‘visiting and spending time’ there for far longer than ‘a good portion of his tenure’ as a minister. The Levy brothers are longtime friends and ministers are allowed to have friends because, believe it or not, ministers are people too,” McKenzie’s spokesperson responded.

We asked McKenzie’s team whether the timing of the Blu Label visits wasn’t problematic, considering that the Ticketpro deal was seemingly concluded within the same time-frame.

“During the period you speak of, the USA also dropped several bombs on Iran, an El Niño event started in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean and Dolly Parton died. Perhaps you can find a link to the minister on all that too,” read the spokesperson’s response.

We also wanted to know whether Lethoko, McKenzie’s former personal assistant and Ticketpro’s new CEO, ever escorted him to the Blu Label offices, or whether she was present during any such visit.

![Patriotic Alliance leader and Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie recieved a warm welcome by party supporters (Photo: Kyran Blaauw)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/-JJCcaWv_v016b3VGq6Tx7aFX28=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Kyran-BradleyMurray1_737839.jpg)

*Gayton McKenzie at a Patriotic Alliance gathering in Nelson Mandela Bay in September 2026. (Photo: Kyran Blaauw)*

“The minister does not need an ‘escort’ to visit Mark or Brett Levy. He knows how to find their offices. Ms Lethoko was with him at Blu Label on at least one occasion, but one should be careful to attribute motives or some kind of sinister intention to this fact. Ms Lethoko has been appointed as the new CEO of Ticketpro, an entity under Blu Label. For her to be present at the offices of Blu Label at any or all times is therefore hardly a scoop of any kind.”

The spokesperson added that McKenzie met the Levy brothers circa 2007, “long before he was a minister”, when McKenzie – who co-authored a book on his former life as a convicted criminal – was brought in by Blu Label to give a motivational talk.

“They became friends since then and there have been numerous overlaps during their lives, but at heart they are just good friends,” explained the spokesperson.

### **King David visit**

McKenzie was photographed alongside Brett Levy as recently as September this year.

The minister and Blu Label’s co-CEO were at King David High School in Linksfield, Johannesburg, where McKenzie addressed learners ahead of the school’s Culture Fest.

According to the school’s accompanying post on social media, McKenzie was the first minister to visit the school in 20 years. The post suggested that Levy had been involved in arranging the visit.

“We extend our sincere thanks to the South African Board of Jewish Deputies ... and Brett Levy for bringing such an inspirational speaker to King David,” the school posted.

![Gayton McKenzie Levy King David. (Photo: Source/Supplied)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/msUY4UKe4CQLfvF9lKrHT2NUv7Y=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/StumpedDMCSAinvestigation10_446659.jpeg)

*Gayton McKenzie and Brett Levy, together with staff of the King David High School in Linksfield, Johannesburg. (Photo: Facebook / King David High School)*

However, when asked exactly how Levy had assisted in arranging McKenzie’s visit, the school denied that the Blu Label executive had played any role whatsoever.

“The wording of the post may be misleading as it was written by someone in the school’s marketing team who was not involved in organising the visit,” stated Jacqui Freeman, King David’s head of marketing.

According to Freeman, the SA Jewish Board of Deputies arranged the visit.

“\[Brett Levy\] was asked to attend by the SA Jewish Board of Deputies as an ex-pupil of the school,” she stated.

McKenzie also denied that Levy had helped to arrange his visit.

“He did not facilitate the visit but was present as a friend and a parent,” stated the minister’s spokesperson.

Blu Label and the Levy brothers did not address questions regarding McKenzie’s visit to the school.

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