Police are investigating the assault after black teenagers were attacked in Bloemfontein.
PHOTO: Eligar Mushiana, Gallo Images, Sowetan
- A video showing white men attacking two black teenagers in a swimming pool in Bloemfontein on Christmas Day has gone viral.
- Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela He says that “racism and such atrocities have no place in our province.”
- The police investigate a case of common aggression against the group of white men.
Free State Police are investigating a common assault case after a group of white men allegedly attacked two black teenagers at the Maselspoort Resort on the outskirts of Bloemfontein on Christmas Day.
A video of the apparently racially motivated confrontation has gone viral on social media.
In the video, a white man is seen slapping a 13-year-old boy, who is then thrown back into the pool when he tries to get up. The man then appears to try to strangle the 18-year-old.
Attempts to break up the confrontation fail, and the situation escalates when another man pulls the younger teen’s hair.
A fight then ensues with a man pushing one of the boys into the pool and apparently trying to keep his head underwater.
The video ends with a man dragging the older teen by his head into the pool.
It is alleged that the white men tried to prevent the black teenagers from using the pool at the complex.
Free State police spokesman Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said police were called on Christmas Day at 3pm for “a fighting incident that took place at a holiday resort in Bloemfontein”.
“Upon arrival, the members found the groups already dispersed and were approached by a father of one of the victims who alleged that his two teenage sons, ages 18 and 13, were assaulted by a group of white men for the use of a pool”. Makhele said.
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“Glen police are investigating a common assault case, and the file will be taken to court for a decision. The suspects, who are all white males as seen in circulating video, have been warned to appear before the court on a date to be set by Bloemfontein Magistrates Court,” Makhele added.
The Free State Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Baile Motswenyane, said the incident would receive “appropriate attention” from the investigation team.
“We condemn the behavior reflected in the video,” Motswenyane added.
Prime Minister Sisi Ntombela said she was upset by the video.
Ntombela said:
I have instructed the Department of Economy, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC, Makalo Mohale, to treat the matter with the urgency it deserves and involve law enforcement agencies. Racism and these atrocities have no place in our province.
Mohale said that he would meet with the management of the Maselspoort Resort and speak with the victims to gather the facts of the incident. In a statement issued by the MEC office, he condemned the “senseless act of racism”, adding that this unwanted behavior should never be considered, the incident will be dealt with urgently.
“Until now, the incident has been identified as an element that continues to be a threat to the revival of the tourism sector. Therefore, we urge our communities to report any incidents of racism to law enforcement and continue to play a role in helping to the police. to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” he said.
Attempts to contact Maselspoort Resort and the family of the victims have been unsuccessful.
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