He may be suspended from active duty within the Democratic Alliance but that didn’t stop Renaldo Gouws from donning his proverbial Member of Parliament cap and heading to an induction hosted by the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General on Friday.
Gouws was spotted among his colleagues at the induction where members were informed of the roles and functions of the committee and on the key issues that emerged from the 6th Parliament.
Gouws was slapped with a suspension notice in June after an IOL exposé revealed a video in which he could be heard uttering racial insults to black people.
In the video, Gouws can be heard saying “Alright so there’s a couple of things I want to say. Kill the f**ing k*ffirs, kill all the f*ing n*ggers. That’s all I gotta f*ing say. Kill all the k*ffirs! Kill all the f*ing n*ggers!”
The DA confirmed to IOL that Gouws was still under suspension.
When asked about Gouws’ attendance at Friday’s induction despite his suspension, DA spokesperson Matthew Sims said; “This is a provision of the state, not the party, to be able to do its work.
“Mr Gouws’ suspension from party activities has not been lifted and remains in place. The DA can also confirm that the Federal Legal Commission process regarding the complaints laid against Mr Gouws is ongoing.”
Turning to SCAOG on their position of Gouws’s attendance, the committee’s chairperson, Wouter Wessels said the committee did not have the powers to act against or remove a member.
“Mr Gouws was suspended by his political party pending the outcome of a disciplinary process. Regardless the Ethics Committee of the National Assembly will also deal with this matter. In the meantime, the SCOAG continues with the members appointed to it,” he said.
Gouws was also appointed as the deputy spokesperson for Tourism. According to the party, his suspension “won't stop him from fulfilling his duties as an MP.”
IOL Politics