Two teenage brothers who fought off several middle-aged white men during a racist attack at Maselspoort Resort outside Bloemfontein have been praised by ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa. Delivering the party’s annual January 8th Statement at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium in Mangaung on Sunday, Ramaphosa outlined the party’s key priorities for the year and also talked tough on racism. He applauded the Nakedi brothers — aged 15 and 18 — whom he invited to the stage, where he sat alongside the ANC’s newly elected leadership.
An image from the alleged racial incident at the Maselspoort Resort on Christmas Day captured on video. (Image: Screenshot)[/caption] “It was such a shameful act to see old white men trying to throttle these young men and to drown them in a pool underwater, the most shameful act to perpetrate against young boys like these and that is why they are my special guests,” Ramaphosa said. The incident took place on Christmas Day when several white men attempted to prevent the black teens from using a swimming pool they claimed was reserved for white people. The incident was shared on social media via a 32-second video clip posted to Twitter that sparked national outrage. Ramaphosa thanked the teenagers for fighting back against racists, whom he said had no place in South Africa, and added that those who had not reformed must leave the country.
“I thank you, boys; stay strong and do not be afraid of white people. They no longer have power, their project of apartheid is over,” Ramaphosa said. “We commend you, and say what happened to you should not deter you. You must be strong as young men; the message I want to give to you is that the spirit of our forebears who fought against the apartheid system must fill you with courage as it does all of us. “We honour these young men, we thank them and we also thank their parents for having stood firm to make sure that they resist the racist acts and practices being perpetrated against them.”
The video of the incident depicts a white man standing on the edge of a swimming pool, screaming, “Get out!” and 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 man and the confrontation escalates. A black boy is seen being throttled by another white man who has both hands around the 15-year-old’s neck. The 18-year-old leaves the pool and tries to break the man’s grip. Amid pleas from onlookers for the men to stop the violence, the 18-year-old is able to push the man off the younger teen and into the pool. A third white man, standing outside the pool area, grabs the teenager’s hair and pulls his head towards a spiked fence. The 18-year-old notices an onlooker filming and tells them to “call the cops”. At this point, 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 jumps into the pool to help the assailant. The 18-year-old’s arms flail as his head remains underwater. Following the incident, a case of common assault was opened by the police. That charge was changed to attempted murder ahead of arrests being made. Johan Nel (33) and Jan Stephanus van der Westhuizen (47) and an unnamed third suspect were arrested after 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.
In a Daily Maverick piece about a racist incident involving urination at Stellenbosch University, Professor Pierre de Vos wrote that such incidents not only humiliate the targeted victim, but remind us that racism is widely embedded in society. “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,” wrote De Vos.
