Africa-Press – South-Africa. The family whose teenage boys are at the centre of an alleged racial attack at the Maselspoort resort in Bloemfontein welcomed the arrest of the three men believed to have been behind the incident.
Police arrested the men on Wednesday.
Two of the men – Johan Nel, 33, from Bothaville, and Jan Stephanus van der Westhuizen, 47, from Brandfort – appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on charges of common assault and crimen injuria.
They were released on a warning and will return to court on 25 January.
The third suspect – a 48-year-old man from Bloemdal in Bloemfontein – will face attempted murder charges. He has remained in custody and will appear in the same court on Thursday, according to police spokesperson, Brigadier Motantsi Makhele.
Their arrests resulted from a police investigation following the confrontation at the resort’s swimming pool on Christmas day. The altercation was captured on video and showed three men assaulting two teens, while one seemingly held one of the boys’ head underwater.
The Nakedi family’s lawyer, Zola Majavu, said the family commended the police’s response to the incident.
“We appreciate how the police investigating the matter have handled it thus far, as well as the professionalism and the attention given to this matter by the acting chief public prosecutor,” Majavu said.
Majavu added:
Free State EFF chairperson Mapheule Liphoko told News24 on Wednesday that the arrests were a step in the right direction. He said EFF members would attend the court appearance of the man charged with attempted murder.
Liphoko was at the resort on Tuesday. He told News24 the party descended on the venue on Monday “to provide oversight” and to “monitor” the situation after it received the viral video.
He said the incident was unfortunate, particularly because it involved children.
“Our people cannot be intimidated by anyone in our presence, and we keep quiet. Young people cannot live like that. We have to change this,” he said.
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