Maselspoort Resort Attack: Johannes Van Der Westhuizen Pleads Guilty to Common Assault, Gets R4k Fine
- Johannes Stephanus van der Westhuizen, one of the men fingered in the Maselspoort Resort alleged racist attack, has been sentenced
- Van de Westhizen was handed down a R4 000 fine for the assault of two black teenage boys on Christmas Day in 2022
- South Africans are furious about the magistrate's decision to hand down a light sentence
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BLOEMFONTEIN - One of the men caught on camera attacking two black teenage boys at the Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre on Christmas Day has pleaded guilty.
Source: Getty Images
Johannes Stephanus van der Westhuizen was sentenced on Monday, 22 May and was slapped with a fine of R4 000 or 12 months imprisonment.
Three men charged for the alleged racist attack of two teen boys at Maselspoort Resort
According to TimesLIVE, Van der Westhuizen was charged alongside Johan Nel, aged 47, and Kobus Klaassen. Van der Westhuizen and Nel faced common assault and crimen injuria charges.
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Klaassen was charged with attempted murder for holding one of the boys' heads underwater.
A clip of the assault was shared on social media on 25 December 2022 and went viral, making the story national news. In the clip, the teen boys were shoved, slapped and thrown into a pool, and the youngest kid was grabbed by the throat and hair, reports The Citizen.
Free State National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phaladi Shuping stated that the matter against Nel and Klaassen has been postponed until 3 July for further consultation.
Klaassen is currently out on R20 000 bail.
South Africans outraged by the sentence
Taking to Facebook and Twitter, South Africans fumed over the magistrate's decision to hand a R4 000 sentence inside of jail time.
@tshepo87 said:
"Magistrates and judges are part of the wider problem of lawlessness we have. How does a R4000 fine deter anyone from repeating this? Vicky Momberg was rightly sent to jail."
Kay Gee Mengo said:
"The justice system always protects racists in this country that's why racists are so emboldened because absolutely nothing will happen to them."
@generaitonUS said:
"For child abuse and racism...Wow, some judges are begging to be struck from the roll. Pathetic."
@0nk321 said:
"Racism should be criminalised in SA with a minimum of 5 years in prison."
@RealMrUgly said:
"Assaulting a black teen is so cheap ♂️♂️. 4k?"
Anele Mdoda fumes over free state racism incident: “This is Alakhe being attacked here guys”
Briefly News previously reported that a social media user, @Tumii_Frost, took to Twitter and posted a video sharing that her brothers were attacked because they were not allowed in the pool. She said her family was spending a day at Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre in the Free State, where the incident took place.
The video went viral on social media and caught the attention of many people, including the TV star Anele Mdoda who has since responded by slamming the attack. She wrote
"These are old men attacking little boys. This is Alakhe being attacked here, guys. Don’t tell me otherwise. What would you like us to do as mothers @CyrilRamaphosa @PresidencyZA @SAPoliceService."
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Source: Briefly News
