DA ‘dealing’ internally with Renaldo Gouws matter Recently appointed Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament Renaldo Gouws has faced harsh criticism for his “racist” videos.

[Nat Quinn]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it is internally dealing with issues surrounding recently appointed Member of Parliament Renaldo Gouws.

This comes as a video Gouws shared 16 years ago has resurfaced on social media and he has faced backlash and criticism for his utterances.

DA DEALING INTERNALLY WITH RENALDO GOUWS ISSUE

After the video resurfaced Gouws took to his X account to “apologise”.

He said a snippet of a video that he posted 16 years ago when he was young and still a student has been recycled and posted on social media over the last few days. He noted that he had addressed this video in 2016 and again in 2020 when it resurfaced.

Gouws claimed to have posted a lengthy apology on Facebook years after filming the videos, acknowledging his previous behaviour as “angry, hostile, confrontational, and crass.”

He said “This was at the time when then President Zuma and then Youth Leader, Malema were singing songs about killing people based on their race”.

A petition has also been launched calling for Parliament of South Africa to reconsider the membership of Renaldo Gouws and set a strong precedent against racism. Close to 50 000 people have already signed the petition.

DA spokesperson Solly Malatsi told Eyewitness News that the party is dealing with the matter internally.

EFF CRITICISES DA MP

Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has also condemned, with the contempt deserving, the “racist and homophobic videos recorded by Renaldo Gouws.”

The party said it is a well-known fact that Gouws has built his reputation over the past few years on stoking racial hatred towards Africans and for championing fake news around the so-called farm murders.

“In these videos, Gouws makes fun of HIV-positive people, snide remarks about the LGBTQI community, offensive videos about affirmative action and black economic

empowerment, and makes comments belittling the African continent and remarking that no one would notice if the continent were to be wiped off the face of the earth.

“In more recent postings and comments, Gouws has waged a vicious attack against Mama Joy, a well-known sports supporter, and went to the extent of even calling her a prostitute. He has been a vociferous advocate of right-wing politics in the country, equating attempts to redress colonial and apartheid legacy to reverse racism, projecting whites as victims of a so-called backlash by a black government. In almost all of his fiery and offensive videos and comments, Africans are almost exclusively at the receiving end of his abuse.”

DA MP ACCUSED OF RACISM

Further, the Red Berets said even someone not familiar with South African politics would be immediately apparent that Gouws holds a highly disdainful view of African people.

The party said for Gouws, colonialism, and apartheid ended in 1994, and any attempts for redress are reverse racism.

“In short, he is an advocate for maintaining colonial and apartheid inequalities. This is not a surprise; a great majority of the beneficiaries of colonialism and apartheid have never transcended their colonial prejudices of superiority.

“To them, any attempt towards redress is viewed as an attack because, for them, African people are inherently inferior and ought to never affirm their right to humanity,” the EFF said.

 

SOURCE:DA ‘dealing’ internally with Renaldo Gouws matter (thesouthafrican.com)

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