Three men charged for alleged racist attack on Black teens in South Africa

Three white men have been arrested in connection with the assault of two Black teenagers at a resort pool in South Africa.

The incident took place in the city of Bloemfontein on Christmas Day. However, it only came to light after a video of the assault went viral on social media.

The video shows one man slapping a teenager, and another tugging the hair of another Black youth. One of the men could also be seen putting the taller youth in a headlock and seemingly trying to drown him in the pool.

According to the teenagers, it started when the attackers told them that the pool was meant for "white people only," reported the New York Times.

Brian Nakedi, a former underground fighter against apartheid, said his son was one of the teens who were assaulted at the resort and denied online claims that the two youngsters were the ones who provoked the men.

Nakedi said that his family had rented a house at the resort for three nights. He said that they made the bookings in a part of the resort that has chalets, but his 18-year-old son and 13-year-old nephew went for a swim in the pool located in a wooded campground area.

The teens were told that they were not allowed in the area because they were not guests at the resort. Nakedi said that he tried to explain the situation and left the scene thinking everything was fine.

Later, a fight broke out between some of the white men and the teenagers when they decided to go into the pool.

Nakedi's son was reportedly stopped by a white man from going into the pool, and that is when all hell broke loose.

The authorities have launched an investigation into the matter. They have arrested and charged three white men including Johan Nel, 33, and Jan Stephanus van der Westhuizen, 47, with assault. The third unidentified individual is scheduled to appear in court on a charge of attempted murder on Thursday.

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has ensured an investigation into the case.

"Under the rule of law, we must let investigations take their course," he said, "but under the rule of law, we can and must also declare that racism has no place in our society and racists have no place to hide."