MAYHEM AT MASELSPOORT
Three men arrested after video shows alleged racial assault of black teens at Free State resort swimming pool
A 32-second video posted to Twitter on Christmas Day has sparked outrage around the country. The clip shows several white men assaulting black teenagers at the Maselspoort Resort outside Bloemfontein.
“What happened at Maselspoort Resort on Christmas Day, exactly a year after Archbishop Tutu left us, is a challenge to us as a nation to change course,” said Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana in a statement released by the South African Council of Churches on Wednesday.
“The grotesque images of adult white men throwing their all at black teenagers, with a man throttling a boy, and two others appearing to attempt to drown another boy, are sickening and must be condemned by all South Africans, with a crescendo especially from white people and white organisations of influence,” says Mpumlwana.
“As black people continue to endure these episodes of humiliation, it becomes that much more difficult to hope for national reconciliation and social cohesion.”
Family came to spend the day @ MASELSPOORT RESORT & CONFERENCE CENTRE in Free State. My brothers were attacked by these grown men because they are apparently not allowed in the pool as it’s reserved for the “white people” here.
The Oranje-Vrystraat we love 🫶🏾
Merry Christmas pic.twitter.com/ac4UPZ05ey
— TWIN FL🔥ME (@Tumii_Frost) December 25, 2022
“Get out!” screams a white man standing on the edge of a swimming pool, reaching down in an apparent attempt to slap a black teenager in the water. The 18-year-old tries to exit the pool but is shoved back by the white man and the confrontation quickly escalates.
Next, a young black boy is seen being throttled by another white man who has both hands around the 13-years-old boy’s neck. The 18-year-old is quick to exit the pool and tries to break the white man’s grip by putting his arm around his neck.
Amid pleas from onlookers for the men to stop the violence, the 18-year-old is able to push the white man off the younger teen and into the pool. A third white man, standing outside the pool area, grabs the young boy’s hair and pulls his head towards the spiked fence.
The 18-year-old notices an onlooker filming and tells them to “call the cops”.
It is at this point that the man who had been shoved into the pool returns to the scene, grabs the 18-year-old around the neck and drags him into the pool. He can be seen holding the teenager’s head underwater.
The video cuts off as a fourth white man is seen jumping into the pool to help the assailant. The 18-year-old’s arms flail as his head remains underwater.
These were the images captured on video of what has been described as a racist attack at the Maselspoort Resort outside Bloemfontein on Christmas Day.
The altercation took place after the white men attempted to prevent the teens from using the swimming pool, despite all parties involved being guests of the resort at the time.
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Criminal acts
“At about 15:03, Glen SAPS members were called to a fighting incident taking place at a holiday resort in Bloemfontein,” Brigadier Motantsi Makhele, Free State police spokesperson, said in a statement on Monday.
“On arrival, members found the groups already dispersed and were approached by a parent to one of the victims who alleged that his two teenage boys, aged 18 and 13, were assaulted by a group of white males over the usage of a swimming pool,” said Makhele.
A case of common assault was subsequently opened by the Glen police. However, that charge was upgraded to one of attempted murder ahead of arrests being made.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed that Johan Nel (33) and Jan Stephanus van der Westhuizen (47) and an unnamed third suspect were arrested in relation to the incident.
Nel and Van der Westhuizen have appeared in court on charges of assault. They were released on a warning to return to court on 25 January 2023.
The third unnamed suspect has yet to appear in court and remains in custody.
“He is expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 29 December 2022, on the main charge, being attempted murder,” says Makhele.
The incident has also been reported to the South African Human Rights Commission.
Despite efforts over two days, Daily Maverick has been unable to make contact with the parties involved in the incident. The resort has declined to comment.
Outrage
Following the incident, President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the acts of violence and said that “racism has no place in South Africa and racists must expect harsh consequences in terms of the law”.
On Monday, the Free State division of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) visited the resort in an act of solidarity with the teens. A video shows members of the EFF swimming and playing on the swings at the resort’s pool.
♦️Must watch♦️
EFF groundforces at Masselsport Resort and Conference Centre.
The Free State is not and will never be a safe heaven for hard-core racists who think they are superior than blacks because they are white.
Haak, Isukile. pic.twitter.com/ZVQPCpNGsN
— EFF Free State (@EFF_FreeState) December 26, 2022
“The EFF condemns in the strongest terms the despicable racist act,” said Mapheule Liphoko, EFF chairperson in the Free State.
ActionSA’s Patricia Kopane echoed this sentiment, saying the party condemned all forms of exclusionary segregation and racism.
*On Thursday, security camera footage from the pool area was made available on social media providing further details in the lead-up to the incident.
NEW: Security camera footage of the attack on Black teens at a pool in South Africa provides a more complete picture of what happened. You can see a white man stopping the boys at the gate & almost all the white swimmers getting out of the pool when one of the teens gets in. pic.twitter.com/7CFgEUXY4Y
— John Eligon (@jeligon) December 29, 2022
‘Change direction’
Bishop Mpumlwana said: “Condemning this is not enough if we do not stand up to change our national direction on race and ethnicity.
“We are challenged to recognise that racism and ethnicism are alive and well in our society.
“Where are we breeding these attitudes?” asked Mpumlwana. “Are these not perhaps a boil-over of what are more widespread attitudes that do not always surface in ‘polite’ environments?”
In a Daily Maverick piece written earlier this year about a racist incident involving urination at Stellenbosch University, Professor Pierre de Vos said these incidents do not only humiliate the targeted black victim, but act as a reminder of the racism that is widely embedded in society but not always caught on camera.
“Because not many people are stupid enough to get caught on video performing acts of ‘spectacular racism’, it becomes easier for individuals and institutions to mischaracterise the problem as merely a case of a uniquely bad (or troubled) person doing something shocking and completely unexpected,” wrote De Vos.
Other incidents of racism that appeared on social media include:
- Theuns du Toit’s act of urination at Stellenbosch University in 2022
Read more in Daily Maverick: “History of trouble – Stellenbosch University urination incident highlights deeper problems”
- Penny Sparrow’s Facebook post
South African woman fined for racist post on Facebook | South Africa | The Guardian
- Vicki Momberg’s racist rant towards a black police officer
Read more in Daily Maverick: “Analysis: Why the Vicki Momberg racism sentence deserves scrutiny”
- Adam Catzavelos’ racist beach video
Read more in Daily Maverick: “Adam Catzavelos to pay R150,000 over racist rant after settlement reached with SAHRC”
DM
This article was updated on Thursday December 29, 2022, at 2.45pm.
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At best a partial report, at worst inflammatory. Get all the facts before making accusations. Please.
Actually, the only extra information required are the exact names and ideally a series of photos of the crazy stupid people behind the attack and for the neighbours and the rest of the country, if we have any sense of decency to shun them. Businesses should happily pay fines ahead of time to refuse to have any dealing with these ‘persons’.
I absolutely agree with what you have said but 1. Several large men targeting a smaller person is bullying. This is what we teach our children and it is equally applicable to “adults”. 2. Claiming that a facility is reserved for a particular demographic is petty at best and, subject to the proper examination, illegal at worst. 3. Behaviour like this, makes me ashamed to be white. It taints all of us.
Did you see in the title they said “alleged”
Are you familiar with the expression: A picture tells a thousands words?
If you watch the video it’s pretty obvious what’s going on. It’s disgusting and can’t be ignored. It’s inexcusable.
These cretins must be brought to book. This savage behaviour has no place in any society let alone one with our past.
I totally agree. It is shameful and needs to be condemned. There must be accountability!
I’m wary of reports based on short video clips and inflammatory responses by politicians with agendas. Too much context is often left out. That said, if the situation is as it appears to have been, this is unacceptable. These are bullies and thugs. They deserve condemnation by all decent people.
Still, when I was stabbed in the back four times by drug-amped tik-heads calling me “white shit” and trying to loot my intended corpse, I did not ascribe it to race. I ascribed it to desperate poverty, drugs, and poor education. Racism may be part of this but not necessarily as much as has been made out by media and political opportunists. If it was sheer racism, I’m happy to eat my words.
Well, then it’s way past time to post a video of you eating your words. You know, as well as anyone Saffa, that the only confirmation of time passing that is more accurate than Paris’s Atomic Scales (TA)F is the annual Christmas time racist incident in South Africa that goes viral.
Agree – as young white students we were beaten up by adult white males in Plett caravan but frankly we had it coming; there as no outrage. This type of thing occurs white on white, black on black, black on white and white on black – and there are MANY possible causes for it that do not involve racism. People should be very wary of making emotional judgements based on insufficient information as they can only be destructive. Let the law take its course.
Ricky what a whole lot of hogwash. You conveniently forget the Afrikaans saying ‘laat ons gaan die hout kaap’ meaning (you know) lets go and beat up Africans. Did you throttle your white children? If a black parent beat up a white child we all know he will be send to the cemetery.
But what context could possibly justify this kind of behaviour on the part of the adults?
A good question – one
which neither you, nor I, nor likely anyone reading this article can properly answer. The law will I’m sure hear all the facts an come to the appropriate determination.
The journalist says that despite efforts, DM has been unable to make contact with others involved. Is this really the whole story? Since the incident, Twitter has been full of those happy to offer alternative facts. That the pool is not a whites only pool but rather one for exclusive use by residents, and that the teens involved here were day trippers. Also that a young child was pushed into the pool by one of the teens, sparking the violent reaction. Also that the extremely well timed video work could imply a staged (triggered event). The one teen has garnered much sympathetic video coverage since, adding fuel to this theory. I have no idea if any of this is remotely true, but it really matters. The article repeats only tropes and rehashes statements by politicians. It then by implication implies equivalence to other events, presumably to give the story heft. We need the facts, these are not optional, surely. The ‘oh well, regardless of what happened, what we see on the video is still unacceptable’ is simply lazy. SA does not enter 2023 in any way united or in a positive frame of mind. Stories that run and run and fan the flames of prejudice are massively damaging. At the very least they need to be true. Come on DM, help us out.
It is the conduct not stories confirmed by the manager on television and the police took time before arresting and charging them because the law does not operate on the basis of emotions but on facts. Police had to get the evidence and information from various sources including the facility video footage because social media footage would never stand scrutiny in court unless a video from the person who was at the facility handed to the police. There would be no charges if it was the drivel you are punting in defence of racism. This raises very serious questions about yourself.
Without further context, this sort of behaviour is totally unacceptable and is to be condemned.
Does your comment equate to “wow, I have no idea what happened, but it really sounds bad?”
Just a simple way of saying that wasn’t party to the incident and can only make comments based on what I have read – in other words, I was commenting without the full context of what happened, being available to me! The article doesn’t go into a detailed contextual analysis of the incident, hence my comment is based ONLY on what I have read.
There are several “possible reasons” and mitigating factors alluded to in the comments. But its easy to demonstrate that this was or was not a purely racist attack on teenagers. Please inform us, Jamie Venter, were there any bathers other than the white variety in the pool?
Absolutely disgraceful and totally unacceptable! Throw the book at these vermin! They must have seriously deep feelings of inadequacy and possibly “shortcomings” in other areas of their personal lives to attack children like that.
Obviously it is unethical for adults to manhandle children in this way. Context might provide better understanding (i.e. possible provocation). But behaviour like this remains out of order.
Whites receive a get out of jail free card if only perceived instances of white on black racism trend on social media, are jumped on by polititians, and are amplified by main stream media. Everyone is not equal before the law, justice is not blind, we are ourselves victims of racism, they tell each another. This becomes the excuse for not dealing with racism amongst themselves.
What would happen if every instance of racism, regardless of what race the perpetrator is, is called out equally? I suspect only then will there be progress in dealing with racism in SA.
Pure racism neither do adults don’t attack children.
As an elderly white Afrikaans male I am ashamed of what happened at Maselspoort. These guys deserve everything that’s coming their way! And I do hope SAPS does not hold back on the charges.
These brutal actions are exactly what parties like the EFF thrive on. They do the decent white population of South Africa a dreadful disservice and we are all painted with the same brush in the eyes of our fellow citizens. We can never move on as a nation with this kind of behavior. Throw the book at them I say.
Were the EFF contingent guests at the resort?
Was this entire incident orchestrated to cause trouble?
I agree with CR – racism has no place in this country so I’m assuming he will put an end to racist BEEpolicies!