Free State police investigating a charge of attempted murder after an alleged racist incident at Maselspoort Resort and Conference Center in South Africa.
The initial case was opened by the family of two boys ages 13 and 18 who were assaulted by two white men at the pool.
In the video clip shared on social media, the white men were seen ordering a black teenager out of the water. They then started hitting and grabbing the child by the throat while pulling his hair. One man was also seen holding one of the kids under the water.
Free State police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said the incident was handed to the senior state prosecutor, who issued a directive that a charge of attempted murder could be added to the investigation “given the additional facts” that had been obtained.
“The investigator is working on the directives and we anticipate the perpetrator or perpetrators will be brought before a court of law to account for this incident,” he said.
Two of the men – Johan Nel, 33, from Bothaville, and Jan Stephanus van der Westhuizen, 47, from Brandfort, South Africa – appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
A third man was arrested shortly after midday on Wednesday and is expected to appear in the same court on Thursday to face a charge of attempted murder, said Makhele.
