Renaldo Gouws, who was recently sworn in as a Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament, faces backlash as over 35,000 South Africans demand his removal, accusing him of racism.
Controversial Video Resurfaces
A video from years ago has reemerged, showing Gouws angrily comparing apartheid-era South Africa to the present day, with language that many find offensive and racially insensitive.
“Wow, and people say it was bad back during apartheid, Jesus. You know, white people in this country are going through reverse apartheid. Say what the F you want. Back in the day, black people were beaten and killed, what has changed?
Today white people are beaten, killed and discriminated against. What’s the f**king difference? Do tell me. Call me a f**king racist if you want, but you come and live in this f**king country, and you, a white individual, come and live here and tell me that you aren’t discriminated against and that you aren’t f**king blamed for things that happened in the past, even though I had no f**king hand in it.”
The resurfacing of this video has led to a public outcry, with more social media posts from Gouws being scrutinized.
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Public Petition Gains Momentum
Kimberly Jones initiated an online petition urging the South African Parliament to remove Gouws. The petition, which has garnered nearly 35,000 signatures, states:
“We implore the Parliament of South Africa to reconsider the membership of Mr Renaldo Gouws and set a strong precedent against racism. Let’s press for a Parliament that is truly representative of our democratic values and aspirations. Please sign this petition to make a stand against racism and division in our polity.”
Renaldo Gouws Defends Himself
Renaldo Gouws responds after South Africans petition Parliament to remove him over racist remarks…who is this other person who’s in another province he’s referring to? I thought his video were all made in Cape Town 🤔 pic.twitter.com/hvQdOXYhYD
— Peché Africa 🇿🇦 (@pmcafrica) June 17, 2024
In response to the accusations, Gouws insists that he is not racist and has previously addressed the controversial video.
“A snippet of a video that I posted 16 years ago (back in 2009) when I was young and still a student has been recycled and posted on social media over the last few days,” Gouws explained. “I addressed this snippet in 2016 and again in 2020 when approached by the media when it was posted on social media.”
He further elaborated that this was during a time when then President Zuma and Youth Leader Malema were singing racially charged songs.
Despite his previous apologies, Gouws denies being racist and emphasizes the context of his past remarks.
Apology for Past Behavior
Gouws acknowledges the inappropriate delivery of his past messages and takes responsibility for his actions during his younger years.
“Before this and before these snippets were used publicly against me, I posted a lengthy Facebook post from 2013 in which I apologized for how I delivered my message in my videos (angry, hostile, confrontational and crass),” he stated.
“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 apologize unreservedly.”
