News24.com | Third man charged in alleged racist pool attack out on R20 000 bail

EFF supporters paid the Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre outside Bloemfontein a visit following the incident. (Photo: EFF Free State)

• A third person in the alleged racist incident in which two black teenagers were attacked at a Free State pool appeared in court on Thursday.
• Kobus Klaasen appeared at the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court facing attempted murder charges.
• Klaasen is being charged with two other men who tried to prevent two black teens from entering a "whites only" pool.

The third suspect in the Maselspoort Resort pool attack is out on R20 000 bail after appearing in the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court on Thursday. 

Kobus Klaasen, 48, is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly grabbing a 13-year-old boy by the neck to throttle him and holding an 18-year-old boy underwater on Christmas Day. 

Klaasen is also facing charges of common assault and crimen injuria.

The apparently racist attack came after the teens tried to swim in the resort's swimming pool, which was allegedly reserved for "white people".

Two other men, Johan Nel, 33, and Jan Stephanus van der Westhuizen, 47, appeared in court on Wednesday on charges of common assault and crimen injuria.

According to Free State National Prosecution Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phaladi Shuping, Klaasen handed himself over to police late on Wednesday.

In the video, a white man is seen slapping a 13-year-old boy, grabbing him by the throat and pulling his hair. A scuffle ensues and the white men are seen roughing up the black teens. The footage ends after one of the white men pushes the older teen into the pool and seemingly tries to hold his head underwater.   

The case has been postponed to 25 January. 

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred

In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. Journalism strengthens democracy. Invest in the future today. Thereafter you will be billed R75 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed.