Expelled DA MP Renaldo Gouws has revealed that he will be legally challenging his dismissal from the party.
On Friday, the controversial Gouws, who has been slammed for his racist social media remarks, was suspended following an investigation by the party’s Federal Legal Commission (FLC).
In a statement announcing his removal from the party, spokesperson Willie Aucamp said the party had resolved to terminate Gouws’ membership.
“The Democratic Alliance (DA) can confirm that the party’s Federal Executive has unanimously resolved to terminate Mr Renaldo Gouws’ membership. Mr Gouws has been formally informed of this decision. He therefore forfeits his Democratic Alliance seat in Parliament.
“This decision follows a thorough investigation conducted by the DA’s Federal Legal Commission (FLC) into the allegations against Mr Gouws. The FLC found Mr Gouws guilty of contravening several sections of the DA’s constitution,” Aucamp had said.
Responding to his expulsion, Gouws took to his X account, saying some of the comments he made were made 15 years ago.
“It’s weird that we live in a country where someone made a racial statement 15 years ago to illustrate a point and who has apologised for this on many occasions and went through a long period of improving themselves but end up being smeared and attacked by EFF/MK bots and yet... Dudu Zuma who used her Social Media Profile to promote anarchy in KZN that led to the deaths of many people is sitting pretty in Parliament. It seems the crux of my video from 15 years ago rings true, there are double standards when it comes to racism in South Africa,” he said.
According to IOL, Gouws used his social media platforms and advocated for black people to be killed.
After the IOL exposé, Gouws took IOL to the Press Council over the publication’s exposé of the video he made containing racially charged statements and derogatory language.
Gouws, who was initially suspended but continued to represent the party in Parliament, and even attended an induction hosted by the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General has threatened legal action against the decision.
On his suspension on Friday, Gouws said he will not stop his activism.
“I would like to emphasize that this is not the end. I will be exploring all legal and ethical options available to me to challenge this decision and clear my name. My commitment to my work and the people I serve remains my top priority.
“It is disheartening to see a decision like this, especially one that I believe fails to reflect the full context of my actions and my dedication to my role as a public representative. It’s also disheartening that something I said 15 years ago, and completely taken out of context, is held against me as if it was said over the last year,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cosatu has lauded the DA’s decision to expel Gouws from Parliament.
Cosatu’s parliamentary coordinator, Matthew Parks, expressed relief that Gouws has been removed from his position, saying, “cheerleaders for racial violence must have no space in Parliament in a democratic South Africa“.
Parks emphasised the importance of eliminating such figures from public office, particularly given the deep emotional and economic scars left by apartheid.
“Ordinary citizens, who still bear the deep emotional and lived economic scars of apartheid, should never be expected to tolerate such political charlatans as their public representatives, worse at the expense of ordinary workers’ hard-earned taxes,” he said.
Parks said that the expulsion of Gouws follows a similar action taken by DA leader and Minister for Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, who recently removed Roman Cabanac, another figure associated with racial incitement, from his role as Chief of Staff. | Additional reporting by Hope Ntanzi
The Star