Renaldo Gouws
Renaldo Gouws | |
|---|---|
| Councillor Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality | |
| Assumed office 18 August 2016 | |
| Spokesperson for Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture for the Democratic Alliance Nelson Mandela Bay | |
| Assumed office 1 August 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Lawack |
| Federal Council Member for the Democratic Alliance | |
| Assumed office 29 August 2020 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 May 1983 Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| Political party | Democratic Alliance |
| Spouse |
Laurynne Meyer (m. 2014) |
| Children | None |
Renaldo Gouws (born 2 May 1983) is a controversial South African YouTuber, politician and an industrial psychologist. He represented the Democratic Alliance (DA) as Spokesperson for Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture in Nelson Mandela Bay and as a Member of Federal Council for DA in the Eastern Cape.
Early life and education[edit]
Gouws was born in the small town of Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, and attended Hoërskool Brandwag. He studied at the Nelson Mandela University where he obtained a masters degree in industrial psychology in 2010.[1] He currently does consultation work as an industrial psychologist.
Political career[edit]
Gouws joined the DA in 2012. His political career began when he became the branch chairperson of Ward 2 in Nelson Mandela Bay in 2012. Gouws graduated in 2012 from the Provincial Young Leaders Program and the National Young Leadership Program in 2013. In 2016 he ranked high enough on the PR list for the DA to secure a seat for the Nelson Mandela Municipality Council. In 2019 he was elected as DA councillor for Ward 2 in a by-election where the DA received 94%.[2][3][4] From 2019 Gouws served as the Spokesperson for Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture for the DA in Nelson Mandela Bay.[5]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gouws with his caucus leadership formulated a plan that would assist in turning the metro around.[6]
Following the 2024 South African general election, Gouws was sworn in as a Member of Parliament for the DA, but was suspended from the party a few days later after a racist video surfaced. In the video excerpt, published by Independent Online, Gouws used racial slurs calling for the 'killing of all black people'.[7] The excerpt came from a longer video recorded by Gouws in 2010, which had previously been deleted from Gouws's YouTube channel but was still available in an archive from 2012. In the video, Gouws says he did not truly mean the words he said and that they were for the purpose of creating context for the anger at then ANC youth league leader Julius Malema singing the song 'Kill the Boer'.[8][9]
Andile Lungisa jug incident (2016)[edit]
During a council meeting in Nelson Mandela Bay in 2016, a brawl broke out that led to glass jugs being thrown around injuring people.[10] Andile Lungisa broke a glass jug over a fellow councillor's head and was arrested for Grievous bodily harm. Gouws took footage of the incident[11] which was used to convict Lungisa of assault.[12][13][14]
Social media[edit]
Gouws started a YouTube channel in 2009 with a focus on South African current events and politics. He also does a debate show which is called the Sunday Service, in which he speaks to senior politicians, celebrities and thought leaders about South Africa. Gouws has been accused of racism.[15] He has also been accused of homophobia, with videos circulating of him using homophobic language.[16]
References[edit]
- ^ "Masters Degree Dissertation". Seals. 2010.
- ^ "DA Nelson Mandela Bay picks Renaldo Gouws as candidate for Ward 2 by-election". RNews. 7 February 2019.
- ^ "DA's Renaldo Gouws in a resounding win in Ward 2 by-election". RNews. 7 March 2019.
- ^ "DA retains control in Ward 2 by-election". TheHerald. 7 March 2019.
- ^ "Let's move Nelson Mandela Bay forward again". The Herald. 10 July 2020.
- ^ "DA urges a rates holiday to help businesses affected by coronavirus". The Herald. 10 July 2020.
- ^ "New racist video of DA MP Renaldo Gouws surfaces". Independent Online. 19 June 2024.
- ^ Felix, Jason (20 June 2024). "SA Human Rights Commission takes suspended DA MP Renaldo Gouws to Equality Court for 'hate speech'". News24.
- ^ du Plessis, Christiaan. "KYK | DA skors nuwe LP Renaldo Gouws oor k-woord-video". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ "DA, ANC COUNCILLORS IN HOSPITAL AFTER MANDELA BAY COUNCIL MEETING BRAWL". The Herald. 10 July 2020.
- ^ "Accused in council 'water jug' assault case takes the stand". TimesLive. 19 March 2018.
- ^ "Andile Lungisa assault trial: Damning video played in court". News24. 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Andile Lungisa gets two years in jail for assault". Mail&Guardian. 9 May 2018.
- ^ "Andile Lungisa gets two years in jail for assault". News24. 9 May 2018.
- ^ "Controversial DA councillor threatens court action over old videos". Times Live. 31 July 2020.
- ^ https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/celeb-news/local-celebs/da-mp-renaldo-gouws-racist-homophobic-video-sign-petition-latest-news/