Johannesburg - The third suspect linked to the racism incident that took place at the Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre on Christmas Day has been granted bail of R20 000.
The 48-year-old Jacobus Claasen appeared briefly before the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning.
He was released on bail after he was not deemed a flight risk as he is a permanent resident of the country and a businessman in the area.
Claasen, a local businessman, is expected to appear in court again after the case was postponed to January 25, 2023.
The case was adjourned for further investigation, with Claasen is said to be facing charges of attempted murder, assault, and crimen injuria.
His appearance comes a day after two of his co-accused appeared in the same court on Wednesday and were released on a warning following the highly charged incident, which saw the three men assault and shove two teenage brothers in a bid to get them off the public pool on the basis of their race.
Claasen will be joining his two co-accused – 33-year-old Johan Nel from Bothaville in the Free State and 47-year-old Jan Stephanus van der Westhuizen from Brandfort – who have been charged with common assault and crimen injuria when the case resumes in the new year.
In his request for bail, Claasen told the court that he has four children and that he employs eight people in his business, adding that he had handed himself in to the police following the incident.
According to a report by the SABC, the family of the two teenage boys had enlisted the services of top advocate, Zola Majavu, in their bid to sue for financial reparations and other possible relief.
Ahead of the court appearance of the three suspects and perpetrators of racism, the African Transformation Movement (ATM) has called for the criminalisation of racism in the country, with racist incidents continuing unabated.
The party's call comes as the country is dealing with yet another racist incident involving a group of white males in the Free State against two teenage boys.
The alleged racism incident that took place at the Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre on Christmas Day has sent shock waves across the country after a video emerged on social media where two teenage black boys, aged 13 and 18, were attacked and assaulted by a group of white male adults.
The video, which has gone viral and attracted an outcry all over the country, shows some adults trying to prevent the boys from using a swimming pool at the resort, which they allegedly claim is reserved for the use of white people only.
ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona said the party is outraged by the incident, adding that the ATM is against the victimisation of black people.
"The ATM is against the victimisation of the other by another and therefore calls for the criminalisation of racism. It can’t be that, in this day and age, we would rather hear of such prejudice, where resources and facilities will be allocated to citizens or clients only to be used on the basis of skin colour and race," Ntshona said.
Racism has no place in a democratic South Africa, according to the party, and it has urged the South African Human Rights Commission and other law enforcement agencies to act quickly to eradicate racism in the country.
The Star