The identities of the two who briefly appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s court, cannot be revealed until an identity parade is concluded.
They face charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, malicious damage to property and crimen injuria for assaulting 30-year-old Thato Lepinka at the parking lot of Willoway Shopping Centre in Garsfontein on Saturday night in what is believed to be a racially motivated attack. In the video, a man can be heard swearing and uttering racial slurs as he continues to smash the car windows, whilst the victim pleads with the attacker.“I don’t believe as a country we still find ourselves faced with these elements of racism and having to come face to face with the accused today at court it really, and I’m sure you have seen with the mother, the emotions were unpleasant.
Meanwhile, the South African National Civic Organisation is calling for the accused to be denied bail.“The issue of racism, almost 30 years into our democracy is something that must not be tolerated. I think this thing of us trying to reach out to white racists at some point needs to come to an end. These guys are showing us almost weekly that they are not prepared to see us as human beings, they continue to see us as animals.
Police are meanwhile investigating allegations that officers who arrived at the scene failed to act while the crime was being committed in their presence.
Shocking! If only the horrifically high number of assaults and every one of the 20000 murders in South Africa over the last year received the same media coverage.