Prosecutor suspends Renaldo Gouws for racist language

DA MP Renaldo Gouws has been suspended with immediate effect and will now face disciplinary proceedings before the party’s Federal Legal Affairs Commission.

Gouws had run into trouble over racist and homophobic videos he recorded about 15 years ago, which recently surfaced after his swearing-in to the National Assembly as part of the 7th government.

On Wednesday, several DA members told Daily Maverick that the party had brought in experts to verify the authenticity of a video in which Gouws repeatedly insults South Africans using the “K-word” and the “N-word” – derogatory terms used during apartheid.

In the video, Gouws can be heard saying: “All right, there’s a couple things I want to say. Kill the motherfucking killers, kill all the motherfucking n*ggers. That’s all I have to fucking say. Kill all the killers! Kill all the motherfucking n*ggers!”

When the party called him to account, Gouws reportedly claimed that the video was fake and possibly recorded using modern technology, such as AI tools.

On Wednesday, Siviwe Gwarube, DA parliamentary leader, told Daily Maverick that the party had taken note of the matter and had since referred it to the party’s highest decision-making body, chaired by Hellen Zille.

“We have taken note of the videos that have surfaced, which were recorded by a member of our parliamentary group around 16 years ago. Of course, we condemn any kind of racism and homophobia in any form, because we as an organization do not stand for that and therefore the matter now lies with the President of the Federal Council, who must deal with it from a party political perspective and see what needs to be done.

“The problem is that these videos were made when the person was not yet a member. At the same time, it is important that we protect the reputation of the organization because we cannot have people in the party who hold such views,” Gwarube said.

Press release on the suspension of Renaldo Gouws. (Image: ORI X)

On Wednesday evening, Zille announced that he would be fired immediately if the investigation revealed the authenticity of the video in question. The company has now taken this step.

“If the video turns out to be true, it’s over for him. He will be removed as an MP. Such language is indefensible and unacceptable. I don’t see how such offensive language can be justified,” Zille told News24.

Following his suspension, Gouws, who previously served as a Nelson Mandela Bay councillor, will lose several taxpayer-funded benefits, including a salary of R1.27 million a year (over R100 000 a month), subsidised medical care and free flights.

A varied racial past

Gouws is no stranger to controversy. He has a YouTube channel with thousands of followers, a platform he uses to talk about issues of racism that often do not go unchallenged.

While attending the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa at Union Buildings on Wednesday, Gouws declined media interviews.

The video that got Gouws suspended is not the first to resurface from his past in recent times. Earlier this week, he apologised after a two-minute racist tirade against Julius Malema’s “kill the boer” rhetoric made the rounds on social media.

He released a statement in which he apologized unreservedly.

“I addressed this clipping in 2016 and 2020 when the media brought it up after it was posted on social media. (Articles about this can be googled). This was at the time when then President Zuma and then youth leader Malema were singing songs about killing people based on their race.

“Before that, and before these clips were publicly used against me, I posted a long Facebook post in 2013 apologizing for the way I conveyed my message in my videos (angry, hostile, confrontational, and crass).

“I reject all allegations of racism or racism. However, I see how my message was distorted by the manner in which I delivered it and I take full responsibility for the actions of my younger and immature self. For this, I apologize unreservedly,” he wrote in a statement.

The incident in Gouws’ case is similar to that of South African Adam Catzavelos, who in 2018 recorded himself making racist comments about the lack of black people in his community.

He was on holiday abroad and said: “Not a single killer anywhere in sight, it’s bloody heaven on earth… You can’t beat this!”

In 2019, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) fined him R200,000 and ordered him to apologise. Like Gouws, he was fired from his family’s business.

Gouws’ videos led to an online petition on Change.org, with more than 53,000 people calling for his removal. The petition, originally started by Kimberly Jones, was reportedly used by the party’s federal council to build strong evidence against him, Daily Maverick has learned from a reliable source.

Jones said in the petition: “The recent videos of Mr Gouws circulating on social media making racist remarks against people of colour are a stark reminder of how quickly we can regress if such behaviour is not stopped. South Africa, with its newly elected national unity government, understands the importance of collective action towards common goals better than most.”

Following Gouws’ suspension, the South African Human Rights Commission released a statement announcing it would initiate proceedings against Gouws in the Equality Court in Gqeberha over the alleged racist comments in online media posts. The human rights organisation said the video constituted hate speech and/or harassment within the meaning of sections 10 and 11 of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 2000 (PEPUDA or Equality Act).

Also on Thursday morning, ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji welcomed the suspension of Gouws, as she had previously called for. At a press conference, Malatji went even further: “We wish they would suspend him even further.” DM