South Africa: Bail denied to 2 white men in coffin case

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) - Two white men accused of racially assaulting a black man and forcing him into a coffin have been denied bail by a court in South Africa’s eastern province of Mpumalanga.

“In this matter the state strongly opposes the release of both applicants on bail,” the magistrate Jongilizwe Dumehleli ruled Thursday.

Dumehleli said there was a possibility of bloodshed if the pair was released since the local community was deeply upset by their actions.

He further said the assault could be viewed as brutal racism, since the victims kept screaming asking the suspected pair not to force him inside a coffin.

Farm administrators, Theo Jackson and Willem Oosthuizen, both in their late twenties, were accused last month of assaulting Victor Rethabile Mlotshwa, a 27-year-old black man for allegedly trespassing on their farm.

The incident happened months back but only came to light in November after a 20-second video clip posted on YouTube sparked nationwide outrage.

The footage shows a white man forcing a black man into a coffin, threatening to douse him in gasoline and set him alight.

The alleged victim Mlotshwa, claimed to local eNCA television outside court that he was assaulted for trespassing on a farm in Mpumalanga province.

The white farm workers were charged with kidnapping and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

The case has attracted both national and international interest after the video footage showing the assault went viral.

Many incidents of racism have happened this year in South Africa, showing the country has not completely moved on from its past racial segregation system known as apartheid.