The Democratic Alliance has terminated the membership of Renaldo Gouws, who was accused of racism. Days after being sworn in as a member of Parliament in June, a video of Gouw hurling insults at black people and racial slurs surfaced on social media. He was suspended by the party as they conducted investigations.
FIRED
The DA announced last night that Gouws's membership with the party has been terminated and he forfeited his Parliamentary seat. DA national spokesperson Willie Aucamp said the party's Federal Executive has unanimously resolved to terminate Gouws' membership. "Mr Gouws has been formally informed of this decision. He therefore forfeits his Democratic Alliance seat in Parliament," Aucamp said. He added that the decision was taken after a thorough investigation was conducted by the DA's Federal Legal Commission (FLC) into the allegations against Gouws. "The FLC found Mr Gouws guilty of contravening several sections of the DA's constitution. The DA remains committed to upholding its values of accountability, non-racialism, and respect for all South Africans," Aucamp added.
THE RACIST VIDEO
In the video that was posted by Gous on his YouTube channel 16 years ago, he is heard hurling insults at black people, saying they need to be killed. He was seen using racial slurs in a video that went viral earlier this year. In the video, Gouws can be heard saying, "Alright, so there's a couple of things I want to say. Kill the f***ng k*ffirs, kill all the f*ing n*ggers. That's all I gotta f*ing say. Kill all the k*ffirs! Kill all the f*ing n*ggers!" He did not only make one video, there were others, but the message was one, "kill the f***ng kaffirs. Gouws apologised for the videos and claims he didn't know better because he was young. "I refute any claims of racism or being a racist. I can, however, see how my message was distorted in the way it was delivered by me and I take full responsibility for the actions of my younger and immature self. For that, I apologise unreservedly," he said in June.
CONSIDERING LEGAL ACTION
After being informed of the decision, Gouws took to X where he expressed his disappointment and said that while he respects the processes within the party, he strongly disagrees with both the findings of the FLC and the actions taken by FedEx. "Throughout my career as a public representative, I have always represented my ward, constituency, province and country to the best of my ability. I have consistently worked to represent the best interests of all South Africans, regardless of race, culture, or creed. It is disheartening to see a decision like this, especially one that I believe fails to reflect the full context of my actions and my dedication to my role as a public representative. It's also disheartening that something I said 15 years ago, completely taken out of context, is held against me as if it were said over the last year," he said. Gouws also said that the DA's decision was motivated by factors beyond the merits of the case against him. He said he will be exploring all legal and ethical options available to challenge the decision and clear his name. "My commitment to my work and the people I serve remains my top priority," he said.
