Whew, the powerful of social media. Police in South Africa is investigating the disturbing incident at Masselspoort Resort last week where a white man strangled a boy after allegedly telling his family that the pool area was reserved for white people only. According to reputable South African news outlet EWN Reporter, law enforcement officials are reviewing the altercation after the Nakedi family filed a common assault case against the three white men who got physical with the teens, but the case is now being considered attempted murder.
Towards the end of the video, one of the men — who has been identified as Kobus Klaasen — later pulls another boy (believed to be a relative of the previous teen he was strangling) into the pool and appears to be submerging his head under water before the clip cuts off. Shockingly enough, onlookers stood and watched as the boys fought off the men who had put their hands on them.
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The dispute was unprovoked, according to sources, with Kobus using physical force to try and get the boys away from the pool area. “Police have confirmed that after a review of the facts and statements presented to them, a case of attempted murder is now being investigated,” the EWN Reporter writes. “They deny initially downplaying the matter by investigating common assault.”
As previously mentioned, while the Nakedi family filed a common assault case, following the huge outcry of furious social media users, the altercation is now being seen as attempted murder. It’s unclear whether police are currently looking for Kobus and the two other individuals who jumped in on the despicable act of putting their hands on teenagers.
DA Free State Leader Roy Jankielsohn has since released a statement after the viral video captured the attention of many outraged around the world, questioning how such a racially-motivated attack on teens could even happen in South Africa.
“The parents of the minors are encouraged to lay criminal charges for a thorough investigation by the South African Police Service,” he said. “We must be united in our condemnation of all acts of violence in our province and country. We must allow the law to take its course in the fight against all crimes, no matter what the motivation behind them.”
Socialites, how did the video make you feel when you saw it?