The men were filmed allegedly assaulting the teenagers as they tried to use the pool at the Maselspoort resort in the Free State province on Christmas Day. The trio appeared to be trying to prevent the teenagers, aged 13 and 18, from swimming, claiming that the pool was reserved for white people. In the video, which was reportedly filmed by a relative and widely condemned on social media, the men appeared to shout at the teenagers and hit them.
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Three South African men charged with crimes including attempted murder
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The white men are accused of a racially motivated Christmas Day attack
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One man allegedly held a black teenager’s head under water in a public pool
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The other two are accused of common assault after video of incident went viral
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Alleged victim’s father said: ‘We have to relive the pain through our kids’
Three white men have been charged with crimes ranging from common assault to attempted murder in South Africa after an alleged racially motivated attack on two black boys in a public swimming pool.
The men were filmed allegedly assaulting the teenagers as they tried to use the pool at the Maselspoort resort in the Free State province on Christmas Day.
The trio appeared to be trying to prevent the teenagers, aged 13 and 18, from swimming, claiming that the pool was reserved for white people.
In the video, which was reportedly filmed by a relative and widely condemned on social media, the men appeared to shout at the teenagers and hit them.
The men were filmed allegedly assaulting the teenagers as they tried to use the pool at the Maselspoort resort in the Free State province on Christmas Day
One of the men appeared to hold the 18-year-old boy’s head under water, while the 13-year-old boy was allegedly grabbed by the throat and pulled by the hair.
Further security video footage purports to show the men attempting to prevent the teenagers from entering the pool and the group of white people exiting the water as soon as the black teenagers entered it.
Johan Nel, 33, and Jan Stephanus van der Westhuizen, 47, have both been released on a warning and will return to court in the new year on charges of common assault and crimen injuria.
A third man, 48, has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly holding one of the boys under water.
Political parties and activists gathered to protest outside of the courthouse on Thursday, and the incident has been widely condemned, including by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Brian Nakedi, who fought against the apartheid in South Africa in his youth, told the New York Times his 18-year-old son was one of the two boys in the now viral videos.
‘I became incensed. We have to relive the pain through our kids,’ he said.
Mr Nakedi, 58, said he and his extended family had booked three nights stay at the resort over Christmas. The resort, he said, is divided into two sections, and the campground side is generally frequented primarily by white people.
When the two boys opted to swim at the pool on that side of the property, he claims they were immediately quizzed by white guests, who told them they weren’t allowed to be there.
As tensions rose, he said the two boys left to speak to their parents, and Mr Nakedi joined them at the pool to confront the primary aggressors.
Mr Nakedi claims he thought the situation was resolved and assured the youths they were free to return to the pool, only for tensions to flare once more.
REFERENCE:
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11585981/Three-white-men-charged-apartheid-style-attack-two-black-teenagers.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/28/world/africa/south-africa-black-teenagers-pool.html
By: Miss Cherry May Timbol – Independent Reporter
