Johannesburg - The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has called for the criminalisation of racism in the country, which regularly sees racist incidents continue unabated.
The party's call comes as the country is dealing with yet another racist incident involving a group of white males in the Free State and two teenage boys.
Following a racial attack at the Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre in Bloemfontein, three adult white males have been arrested, with two of them released on a warning and the third expected to appear in court on Thursday.
The alleged racism incident that took place at the Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre on Christmas Day has sent shock waves across the country after a video emerged on social media where two teenage black boys, aged 13 and 18 years, were attacked and assaulted by a group of white male adults.
The video, which has gone viral and attracted an outcry all over the country, shows some adults trying to prevent the boys from using a swimming pool at the resort, which they allegedly claim is reserved for the use of white people only.
ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona said the party is outraged by the incident, adding that the ATM is against the victimisation of black people. "The ATM is against the victimisation of the other by another and therefore calls for the criminalisation of racism."
"It can’t be that, in this day and age, we would rather hear of such prejudice, where resources and facilities will be allocated to citizens or clients only to be used on the basis of skin colour and race," Ntshona said.
Racism has no place in a democratic South Africa, according to the party, and it has urged the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and other law enforcement agencies to act quickly to eradicate racism in the country.
"The ATM, therefore, calls for the SAHRC and law enforcement to swiftly investigate and, upon a guilty verdict being pronounced, send a very strong message that those who have such a sense of entitlement and a perception of superiority based on the colour of their skin must face the harshest sentence possible," the party said.
The Star