Video by Renaldo Gouws: South African DA MP suspended for using racist language

A South African MP has been suspended from his party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), after a series of old clips surfaced online in which he used violent, racist language against black people.

Renaldo Gouws initially denied that one of the videos was manipulated, but a statement from the public prosecutor’s office released on Thursday said the video was “real and not fake.”

In the video, Mr Gouws, who was sworn into parliament last week, repeatedly uses a local slur normally reserved for black Africans, as well as the N-word, and calls for the killing of black people.

This could hardly have come at a worse time for President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is currently negotiating a new coalition government with the DA.

After being sworn in for a second full term as president on Wednesday, he must now agree on the distribution of ministerial posts between his own African National Congress (ANC) and the DA and three smaller parties.

In last month’s elections, the ANC failed to win a majority for the first time since the end of the racist apartheid system in 1994.

Critics accuse the center-right DA, the country’s second-largest party, of racism. They claim the party wants to protect the interests of the white minority – an accusation the party denies.

The public prosecutor has stated that “disciplinary measures” are to be expected against Mr Gouws.

Earlier this week, another old video clip resurfaced in which Mr Gouws makes racially charged remarks.

In the video, he suggested that whites were subjected to reverse apartheid.

He said: “If Africa had to disappear from the scene, no one would notice.”

More than 40,000 people have signed an online petition calling for his removal as MP.

On Monday, after the first clip appeared, the 41-year-old claimed he was not a racist and apologized to X, saying he had made “crass” and “hostile” comments.

“I reject all allegations of racism or racism. However, I see how my message was distorted by the way I delivered it and I take full responsibility for the actions of my younger and immature self,” he said.

DA leader John Steenhuisen had previously defended Mr Gouws, but it is unclear whether he has seen the latest video in which Mr Gouws calls for the killing of black people.

Senior DA official and former party leader Helen Zille told local media on Wednesday: “Such language is indefensible and unacceptable. I do not see how such offensive language can be justified.”

Mr Gouws is a former councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay’s second district and a popular social media figure known for stirring up controversy.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) announced it would take legal action against Mr Gouws “over alleged racist comments in online media posts”.

In a statement shared on X, the SAHRC concluded that the suspended MP’s comments “constitute hate speech and/or harassment.”

“Given Mr Gouw’s position as a Member of Parliament, his alleged actions are even more serious and carry even greater responsibility.”

The coalition between long-time rivals ANC and DA, officially called the Government of National Unity, has been sharply criticized in some quarters since it was announced last week.

Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who founded the party after leaving the ANC in 2013, sharply criticised the agreement.

“We do not agree to this community of convenience, which serves to consolidate the monopoly power of the whites over the economy and the means of production in South Africa.”

Former President Jacob Zuma and founder of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), which came third in the recent election, shared this view.

He said there was no government of national unity in South Africa and described the partnership as a “white-led unholy alliance between the DA and Ramaphosa’s ANC”.

The coalition government is widely welcomed in the South African business community and is hopeful that it will bring economic stability.

In his inaugural speech, President Ramaphosa promised to ensure economic growth, create jobs and reduce inequality in the country.