WATCH | ‘I refute any claims of racism or being a racist’ – DA MP Renaldo Gouws

Renaldo Gouws

Cape Town – Renaldo Gouws, newly sworn-in as a Democratic Alliance (DA) MP, is facing backlash after old social media posts have resurfaced resurface, including a video where he controversially compares apartheid-era discrimination to current issues faced by white South Africans.

The video has sparked outrage and a petition with over 35,000 signatures calling for his removal from Parliament, accusing him of racism.

In the video, Gouws asserts: “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.”

Kimberly Jones, the petition’s creator, emphasised the importance of unity and inclusivity in South Africa.

ALSO READ | Petition demands ousting of DA MP Renaldo Gouws over racially charged remarks

“His public utterances, filled with threats and racially charged comments, are a direct affront to our democratic values and the harmony of our diverse society. South Africa, a nation that has been wracked by the pain of apartheid, has no place or tolerance for such divisive sentiments, particularly from a Parliamentary member who ought to be a promoter of unity.

“The recent videos of Mr. Gouws circulating on social media, where he spews racial remarks against people of colour, are a stark reminder of how quickly we can regress if such behavior is left unchecked. South Africa, with its freshly adopted National Government of Unity, understands the importance of collective action towards common goals more than most.

“To enable successful governance in a diverse democratic society, it is essential that all members of Parliament adhere to principles of respect, understanding and equality. The harmful and divisive discourse propagated by Mr Gouws not only stymies our progress but can potentially inspire others in the wrong direction,” said Jones.

Gouws has apologised for his past remarks but denies being racist, attributing his comments to youthful naivety and context at the time.

“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.

“I addressed this snippet in 2016 and again in 2020 when approached by the media when it was posted on social media. (Articles on 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,” Gouws said.

In 2022, the Equality Court determined that singing “Kill the Boer – Kill the Farmer” does not constitute hate speech.

He added: “Before this and before these snippets were used publicly against me, I posted a lengthy Facebook post from 2013 in which I apologised for how I delivered my message in my videos (angry, hostile, confrontational and crass).

“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 apologise unreservedly.”

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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