Police search for men after racist Rustenberg assault

The Rustenburg police are looking for a group of white men accused of assaulting a 25-year-old black man‚ resulting in him getting seizures.

Police have arrested four of the men involved in the incident‚ in which Siyakudumisa Nkula and his girlfriend were allegedly assaulted and called “k****rs”.

Nkula told TimesLIVE how his birthday celebration‚ organised by family and friends on August 26‚ had turned ugly.

The family had gathered at the Rustenburg Recreation Centre in the North West‚ where they found a group of white men seated at the braai area.

“When we got at the centre we found them sitting at the braai area. We approached them nicely to tell them that we had booked the area they occupied. They refused (to move) and started swearing. I realised that they are being rude and then went to the caretaker to help us. The management resolved it and we could finally enjoy ourselves‚” said Nkula.

The 24-year-old said that after the altercation his girlfriend‚ Yolanda Labe‚ asked him to apologise to the group of men. They even shook hands as a sign of peace and thought it was done‚ Nkula said.

“Then later on around twenty [minutes] to nine we were preparing to leave and I was walking in front with my girlfriend‚ two white guys started making funny comments and called us ‘kaffirs’. A group of white men came out of the auditorium and they pushed my girlfriend aside‚ she then bruised her left leg‚ and they hit me in the head and I became unconscious. She was screaming for help and was confused. They were about eight of them [white males]‚” Nkula said.

Nkula said some of the men who attacked him and Labe were among those who they had argued with earlier on.

He sustained injuries and since the attack has begun having seizures.

According to Nkula‚ one of the men said that he didn’t know why they were beating him but that he was helping his friends.

Warrant officer Ofentse Makgadi of the Rustenberg police confirmed that Nkula lodged a complaint of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm against the men‚ four of whom were arrested.

“We arrested four accused men and who appeared at the Rustenburg magistrate’s court last Friday and were released on a R500 bail each. Investigations are still underway and police are on a search for the other accused‚” said Makgadi.

The police could not confirm how many people were involved in the alleged assault.