JUST IN: DA suspends Gouws over racist video following IOL exposé

Renaldo Gouws, a Democratic Alliance Member of Parliament has been suspended over racist comments. Picture: Graphic/IOL

Renaldo Gouws, a Democratic Alliance Member of Parliament has been suspended over racist comments. Picture: Graphic/IOL

Published Jun 20, 2024

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Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance (DA) has suspended MP Renaldo Gouws after establishing that the video, in which Gouws utters racist slurs is genuine and not as fake they initially suspected.

Following an exposé by IOL on Wednesday, the DA launched an investigations into the fresh video that surfaced of Gouws uttering racial insults to black people.

In the video, Gouws can be heard saying “Alright so there’s a couple of things I want to say. Kill the f**ing 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 had also made other racist videos where he said that Apartheid was better.

He has apologised for those videos, claiming that he made them when he was young and did not know better.

Gouws was sworn in as an MP last week in Cape Town during the first sitting of parliament.

In a statement, the DA said: “The DA has established that the video, in which Renaldo Gouws uses execrable language, is in fact genuine and not a fake as initially suspected.

“The DA Federal Executive has therefore suspended Mr Gouws with immediate effect while he faces disciplinary charges before the Party's Federal Legal Commission.”

On Wednesday, DA leader John Steenhuisen told the media that some of the remarks that Gouws made were out of immature and being young and also that he apologised.

“These remarks need to be seen in their context, he has apologised for them. It was 16 years ago when people are young and irresponsible, they are young and irresponsible,” he said.

Gouws has since apologised for the first set of videos that were made public and said he was still young and immature, but dismissed claims that he was a racist.

“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 a tweet on Tuesday.

He is yet to apologise for the most recent video.

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