Gouws is a natural fit at the FF Plus, according an analyst.
Fallen former DA member Renaldo Gouws has joined forces with the Freedom Front Plus (FF+).
Gouws said after careful consideration, he found in the FF+ a party that “truly aligns with my core values and vision for our nation”.
“This decision wasn’t made lightly”, he wrote on his X account.
FF Plus leader hails Renaldo Gouws
On Tuesday, FF+ leader Dr Corne Mulder welcomed Gouws as a member of the party and said he looked forward to working with Gouws.
“Popular social media personality and former DA member of parliament has decided to throw his weight behind the FF+.
“Gouws, an industrial psychologist with a significant following on platforms such as YouTube, has extensive political experience and a genuine passion for community values,” he said.
Mulder said during Gouws’ political career with the DA, he was elected as a councillor in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro in 2016 and to the National Assembly in 2024.
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“He obtained his masters degree in industrial psychology from the Nelson Mandela University in 2010 and currently works as a consultant for a prominent company, mainly focusing on finding practical solutions for community development,” he said.
Mulder said Gouws’ “passionate engagement” with the country’s political and social issues earned him a following of over 400 000 across his various social media platforms, where he is known for his commentary and analysis of current affairs.
“Gouws states that the Freedom Front Plus’ core values of freedom, self-determination and safeguarding minority rights resonate with his own convictions.
“He, therefore, welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with the party in building a united, prosperous South Africa whereevery citizen enjoys equal rights and is free to flourish,” Mulder said.
DA dismissal
The DA had unanimously resolved to terminate Gouws’ membership and forfeit his DA seat in parliament in September last year.
Gouws also had to make a public apology after complaints were made to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) relating to a video published in 2010 containing racially offensive and harmful language directed at black South Africans, which resurfaced in 2024.
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Political analyst Piet Croucamp said he always thought Gouws was a natural fit at the FF+.
He had never assumed the constitutionalist or liberal values of the DA, according to Croucamp.
“I almost want to say, what took you so long?” he said.
‘Benefit and risk’
Political analyst Rene Oosthuizen said this shift underscores the fragile nature of political affiliations in South Africa, where it has become evident that personal and factional dynamics increasingly shape the political context in the country.
“This development may be both a benefit and a risk for the FF+.
“On one hand, the party is gaining a figure with significant political experience and knowledge that could strengthen FF+’ strategic position,” she said.
Oosthuizen said, on the other hand, this development risks deepening internal contradictions by associating the party with a controversial figure whose past includes racially insensitive conduct.
“Against this backdrop the key question remains whether this development will enable the party to broaden its appeal beyond its traditional Afrikaner base.”
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