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South African lawmaker Renaldo Gouws, of the Democratic Alliance (DA) party was Thursday suspended. This was after a series of old videos resurfaced online showing him using violent racist language against Black people. Initially, Gouws denied the authenticity of the clips, claiming they were doctored. However, the DA confirmed on Thursday that the videos were genuine.
In the videos, Gouws repeatedly uses a local slur for Black Africans along with the n-word and calls for Black people to be killed. This controversy has emerged at a critical time for President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is in the process of forming a new coalition government with the DA. Ramaphosa, who was sworn in for a second term as president on Wednesday, has agreed on the distribution of ministerial posts between his African National Congress (ANC) and the DA, along with three smaller parties.
The ANC, for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994, failed to secure a majority in last month’s election. The centre-right DA, South Africa’s second-largest party, has often faced accusations of racism, which it denies. The DA has stated that Gouws will face disciplinary charges for his actions.
Earlier this week, another old video of Gouws emerged, in which he made racially charged remarks, implying that white people were experiencing reverse apartheid. In the video, he stated, “If Africa had to disappear off the face of the earth, no one would [expletive] notice.” Over 40,000 people have signed an online petition calling for his removal as an MP.
After the initial video surfaced, Gouws, 41, apologized on X, claiming he wasn’t racist and attributing his comments to his younger, immature self. He said, “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.”
DA leader John Steenhuisen previously defended Gouws, but it remains unclear if he has seen the latest video in which Gouws calls for Black people to be killed. Senior DA official and former party leader Helen Zille condemned the language used by Gouws, stating, “Such language is unjustifiable and unacceptable.”
Gouws, a former councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay’s ward two and a popular figure on social media, is known for stirring controversy. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) announced it would take legal action against Gouws for his racial comments, which it deemed to constitute hate speech and/or harassment. The SAHRC emphasized that Gouws’s position as a Member of Parliament added greater weight and responsibility to his actions.
The coalition government between the ANC and DA, officially termed a Government of National Unity, has faced harsh criticism since its announcement last week. Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who formed the party after leaving the ANC in 2013, condemned the coalition, describing it as a consolidation of white monopoly power over the economy and means of production in South Africa. Former President Jacob Zuma, now leader of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), which came third in the recent election, echoed Malema’s sentiments, calling the coalition a “white-led unholy alliance between the DA and the ANC of Ramaphosa.”
Despite these criticisms, South Africa’s business community has broadly welcomed the coalition government, hoping it will provide economic stability. In his inauguration speech, President Ramaphosa pledged to deliver economic growth, provide jobs, and reduce inequality in the country.
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