By Anita Dangazele
The DA has distanced itself from a video made by one of its newly elected MPs, Renaldo Gouws, which has resulted in a petition calling for his removal from the National Assembly.
The petition calling for Gouws’s removal got over 30,000 signatures in just 24 hours over alleged racist remarks in a video he made in 2009.
However, the party says Gouws is sorry for his comments.
Gouws was sworn in as an MP on Friday during the first sitting of the National Assembly. He is a former Nelson Mandela Bay DA councillor.
Gouws said he had apologised for the video on more than one occasion.
“I addressed this snippet in 2016 and again in 2020 when approached by the media when it was posted on social media.
“This was at the time when then-president [Jacob] Zuma and then-youth leader, [Julius] Malema, were singing songs about killing people based on their race,” Gouws wrote on his X page.
However, Gouws said he understood how his statement could have been mistaken as racist.
“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.”
In a statement on Tuesday, the DA said it had been made aware of a video filmed 15 years ago by Gouws.
“The party has also been alerted to a petition started this Monday that proposes that he be removed as DA MP in the National Assembly.
“The DA disassociates itself from the video and does not condone the tone and content. The DA also notes that Mr Gouws took the video down from social media over a decade ago and apologised for this video and its content in 2013,” the statement said.
The party did not say what steps, if any, will be taken against Gouws.
“The DA believes that Gouws is indeed remorseful for his outburst over a decade ago,” it said.
Pictured above: Newly elected DA MP Renaldo Gouws, who is at the centre of racist allegations.
Source: X
