The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it is aware of a petition calling for the removal of newly sworn-in member of parliament Renaldo Gaus.
The party said it was aware of the existence of a video recorded by Gouse 16 years ago and had supported a petition in parliament calling for his removal from office.
The video, reportedly filmed in 2009, shows Gouse making critical comments about the African National Congress (ANC) government, raising allegations of racism. A petition calling for his removal has garnered almost 30,000 signatures.
“We disassociate ourselves from the video and do not condone its tone or content,” prosecutors said.
The party also noted that Gaus removed the video from social media more than a decade ago and apologised for the video and its contents in 2013.
“We believe Mr Gouse is truly remorseful for his outrageous comments made more than 10 years ago,” the prosecutor said.
Social media reactions to Gouse's apology:
Some of the videos I posted 16 years ago (2009) when I was still a student have been recycled and posted on social media over the past few days.
I mentioned this snippet in 2016 and again in 2020 when I was approached by the media after it was posted on social media…
— Namra Gouws 🇿🇦 (@RenaldoGouws) June 17, 2024
Although the word “racist” has lost its meaning in this country, I firmly believe that anyone who falsely accuses another person of being a “racist” or a “racist” should be heavily fined, or at least be punished in some way, for damaging the reputation of the person they falsely accuse.
— Namra Gouws 🇿🇦 (@RenaldoGouws) June 16, 2024
I don't think we need to fire Renaldo Gauss because we need a daily reminder of how vile and racist the DA really is. Renaldo shatters the illusion that liberals are tolerant, which they are not. They use kind words but still think black people are trash https://t.co/LhPaLCV5dE
— Fakamile Hulbi Majora (@phakxx) June 17, 2024
Renaldo Gouws is also homophobic https://t.co/IBp92KRGN8
— Dan Corder 📺 (@DanCorderOnAir) June 17, 2024
This single video, filmed 15 years ago, does not do justice to the charm of Lenard Gauss.
After watching a lot of his recent videos, I realized he is such an angry, vile man. Yes, I signed the petition. https://t.co/dyRoIkaQV0
— Lynette Engelbrecht (@Lynette_SA) June 17, 2024