Two white men who forced black boy into coffin remanded in custody

Two white men charged with assault and kidnapping have both been denied bail by a South African court after a video showed both of them forcing a wailing black man into a coffin.

The act by the two white men identified as Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Jackson was described as “brutal racism” by the judge who laid bare the racial tensions that endure more than two decades after the end of apartheid rule in 1994, as well as the inequalities between black and white people.

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In their defence, the two accused men told the court Mlotshwa was trespassing on their farm in Middelburg about 162 km (100 miles) east of Johannesburg and was in possession of stolen copper cables.

Magistrate Jongilizwe Dumehleli while denying the accused bail, said public outrage would worsen if the applicants were freed on bail.

“When the court looked at the tragedy as it unfolded, it is clear that the assault was triggered by brutal racism,” he said. The case was adjourned to Jan. 25.

 

 

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