South African president Cyril Ramaphosa is urging the Black teenagers who were attacked at a swimming pool last month to "not fear white people."
Video of the attack garnered global attention as a group of white men appeared to hit, choke, and push two Black teenagers into a pool at the Maselspoort resort in the Free State province. The men were allegedly trying to prevent the teens from swimming in the pool because it was "reserved for white people."
Ramaphosa addressed the attack during a speech for the 111th-anniversary celebration of the African National Conference (ANC) on Sunday (January 8), calling the teenagers, known as the Nakedi brothers, to the stage, Newsone reports.
“We thank them that they are still alive,” Ramaphosa said. “I saw one of them hitting one of the men with a fist. We thank you young men and we are saying what happened to you must not discourage 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,” the president continued. “It was such a shameful act to see old, white men trying to throttle these young men and drown them in a pool underwater, the most shameful act to perpetrate against young boys like these. And that is why they are my guests.
“Ke ya leboha bashimane le dule le tiile, le seke la tshaba makgoa [Thank you, young men, stay strong and do not fear white people]. Don’t fear white people, their time has passed, and they no longer have power, their apartheid is gone. Stay strong, young men,” he said.
According to the Associated Press, three white men have been charged in the attack. 47-year-old suspect Kobus Johannes Classen faces charges of attempted murder, and 33-year-old Johan Nel and 47-year-old Jan Stephanus van der Westhuizen were charged with common assault and “crimen injuria” (“unlawfully and intentionally impairing the dignity or privacy of another person”), according to police.
During his speech, Ramaphosa went on to denounce racism of all forms.
“To those in our country who still want to perpetuate racism, we say…today we do not want racists here in South Africa. If you want to practice your racist tendencies, South Africa is not the place to come and do that,” he said. “If you practice racism, we will make sure that you feel the might of the law because the people of South Africa will never, ever allow racism to reign in our country again, as Nelson Mandela the father of our democracy said.”
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