Free State Alleged Racist Attack: Police Arrest 3 People, Mzansi Calls for Tough Punishment

• Three people have been arrested for the alleged racist attack on two teenagers at the Maselspoort Resort on Christmas Day
• Johan Nel from Bothaville and Jan van der Westhuizen were released on a warning and the third suspect is yet to appear
• Tourism MEC in Bloemfontein Makalo Mohale believes that incidents of racism are a threat to the revival of the industry

BLOEMFONTEIN - Three people were nabbed for the attack on two teenagers at the Maselspoort Resort on Christmas Day.

The men were arrested on Wednesday, 28 December, after a video of the chaos began doing the rounds on social media. Two of the men appeared in court on charges of common assault and crimen injuria.

Johan Nel from Bothaville and Jan van der Westhuizen were released on a warning. The matter was postponed to Wednesday, 25 January. The third suspect is expected to appear in court on Thursday, 29 December, according to EWN.

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In the video that has since gone viral on social media, two black boys aged 13 and 18 could be seen being strangled, pushed into the pool, and physically assaulted. It is unclear what caused the drama, however, it is believed to be racially motivated.

Tourism MEC in Bloemfontein Makalo Mohale told the Daily Sun that incidents of racism are a threat to the revival of the industry. Maselspoort is considered one of the most popular tourist destinations in Bloemfontein.

Mohale urged community members to report any incidents of racism to law enforcement agencies.

Citizens react to the attack:

@zastero said:

“They've been released. Racism is not being taken seriously in our country.”

@francis_nkosi commented:

“These guys should already be in jail.”

@SabeloMayiyane posted:

“Let them rot in jail, they deserve to. I can't begin to imagine the trauma those young boys are going through.”

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@owen_ngcobo2 wrote:

“They should be both charged with attempted murder, finish and klaar.”

@barnard_rohan added:

“They are despicable. I hope they get charged and permanently removed from society. We don't need their type to live among us.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses Free State racist incident, SA says he’s too late

Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the alleged Free State racist incident and called for harsh legal consequences.

A video of a violent clash between two black teenagers and a group of white men at the Maselspoort Resort has been doing its rounds on social media, leaving many outraged. The attack is believed to have been about the boys swimming in a ‘white only’ pool.

According to The Presidency, Ramaphosa called for all South Africans to condemn acts of racism and attempts to defend against such crimes. He said citizens must be united in ridding society of violence regardless of whether they are racially motivated.

Source: Briefly News