Renaldo Gouws, a South African lawmaker, has been suspended by the Democratic Alliance (DA) after old clips resurfaced online, showing him making violent racist comments against black people.
Initially, Gouws suggested that one of the videos was doctored, but the DA confirmed on Thursday that the video was “genuine and not a fake.”
In the video, Mr. Gouws, who was sworn into parliament last week, repeatedly uses a local slur for Black Africans and the n-word, and calls for the killing of black people.
This controversy comes at a challenging time for President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is negotiating a new coalition government with the DA.
After being sworn in for a second term as president on Wednesday, he must now agree on the distribution of ministerial posts between his African National Congress (ANC) and the DA, along with three smaller parties.
The ANC failed to secure a majority in last month’s election for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994.
The DA, South Africa’s second-largest party, has faced accusations of racism, with critics claiming it seeks to protect the interests of the white minority, a charge the party denies.
The DA has announced that Mr. Gouws will face “disciplinary charges.” Earlier this week, another old video clip re-emerged in which Mr. Gouws makes racially charged remarks, suggesting that white people were subject to reverse apartheid.
He said: “If Africa had to disappear off the face of the earth, no one would [expletive] notice”.
On Monday, following the release of the initial clip, the 41-year-old denied being racist and issued an apology on X, acknowledging that he had spoken in a “crass” and “hostile” manner.
“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,” he said.
DA leader John Steenhuisen had previously defended Mr. Gouws, but it is unclear if 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 unjustifiable and unacceptable. I don’t see how such offensive language can be justified.”
Mr. Gouws, a former councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay’s ward two and a popular figure on social media, has been known to stir controversy.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) announced it would take legal action against Mr. Gouws “for the alleged racial utterances relating to online media posts.”
In a statement shared on X, the SAHRC concluded that the comments made by the suspended MP “constitute hate speech and/or harassment.”
“Given Mr. Gouws’s position as a Member of Parliament, his alleged actions carry even greater weight and responsibility.”
The coalition between long-time rivals, the ANC and DA, officially called a Government of National Unity, has faced harsh criticism since it was announced last week.
Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who formed the party after leaving the ANC in 2013, lambasted the agreement.
“We do not agree to this marriage of convenience, to consolidate the white monopoly power over the economy and the means of production in South Africa.”
Former President Jacob Zuma, who is also the founder of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), which placed third in the recent election, expressed similar views.
He asserted that there is no government of national unity in South Africa, labeling the coalition between the DA and Ramaphosa’s ANC as a “white-led unholy alliance.”
Meanwhile, South Africa’s business community has largely welcomed the coalition government, hoping it will bring economic stability.
In his inauguration speech, President Ramaphosa pledged to drive economic growth, create jobs, and reduce inequality in the country.
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