By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Photo Credit: Felix Dlangamandla.
The man accused of attempted murder in the Maselspoort attack has been released after being granted bail of R20 000.
The 48-year-old Jakobus Klassen appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Thursday after he was arrested in Bloemdal on Wednesday.
Free State NPA spokesperson Phaladi Shuping says the state did not oppose bail as the accused is not a flight risk.
“We did not have a valid reason to oppose bail, he does not have pending cases or previous convictions, and his address bail has been confirmed. There is no indication that he will interfere with the investigation or threaten witnesses.”
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.
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: It is not our business to interfere unduly. However, we will make sure this matter is handled in accordance with the prescripts [of the law]. We need to keep cool heads and allow the rule of law to unfold.
He has also indicated that additional security camera footage has been shared and that the family is intending to sue.
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
President Cyril Ramaphosa meanwhile warned that racism has no place in South Africa and racists must expect harsh consequences in terms of the law.
Ramaphosa said the Constitution declares South Africa belongs to all who live in it.
“As black and white South Africans, we should be united in condemning all manifestations of racism and attempts to explain or defend such crimes.