Ahmed Kathrada Foundation calls for harshest sanctions in #CoffinAssault case
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation is calling for the toughest possible sanctions to be imposed on two men arrested for allegedly forcing a black man into a coffin.
The incident, which happened in Middelburg in Mpumalanga, was caught on camera and has since gone viral.
Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Martins Jackson stand accused of forcing Victor Rethabile Mlotshwa (27) into a coffin and threatening to set him alight.
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"The brutality of the incident is shocking," says Neeshan Balton, the Foundation's Director, noting that the racial dynamics of the situation was highly disturbing.
"Of all the hideous acts of racism that has plagued South Africa of late, the incident of placing Victor Rethabile Mlotshwa in a coffin and threatening to burn him is amongst the most despicable.
"This incident has parallels to the type of treatment meted out to African Americans by the Klu Klux Klan and one can only speculate whether the emergence of Trump in the USA has emboldened racists here to the extent that they feel brazen enough to carry out acts such as this," Balton says.
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He says South Africans of all races should condemn the incident.
"They should condemn both the violence of the incident and the fact that 22 years into democracy, we still have a situation where two white individuals think that it is okay to treat a black individual in the most inhumane way."
In an interview, the victim states he was accused of trespassing.
Balton questions why if the suspects thought Mlotshwa was trespassing, they didn't call the police.
"It would be the logical thing to do. The illogical and extremely brutal manner in which the situation was dealt with can only point to deep-seated racist attitudes."
"Ours is a Constitutional democracy, where the values of non-racialism and basic human rights and dignity is sacrosanct. We are glad that the case has gone to Court. We hope that the judiciary will be guided by the recent Constitutional Court ruling on the SARS' racial incident, and hand down the most severe punishment possible for this crime."
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Oosthuizen and Jackson remain in custody until their next appearance on 25 January 2017.