SA athlete assaulted in alleged racist student attack

South African athlete Thabang Mosiako’s dreams could be over after he was brutally attacked last weekend.

The 22-year-old 5‚000m athletics champion‚ who was set to compete in Algeria next month‚ was attacked in the early hours of Sunday morning near the North West University.

Mosiako and his two friends Rantso Mokopane and Sandy Londt were allegedly attacked by two groups of white men‚ whom they believe to be NWU students.

In a Facebook post Mokopane said that it was the fourth time that he had been attacked in and around NWU.

"This time around my training partner severely injured and resulting to a head trauma which may lead to lifelong seizures. I always refrain from racial issues‚ but on all those 4 attacks it has always been white men engulfing and injuring non-whites without cause. It saddens me that even police and protection services fail to protect where needed‚" the post reads.

North West University spokesman Louis Jacobs said they were still not sure whether the alleged attackers were university students.

While the university was aware of the alleged incident and was investigating the matter‚ Jacobs also said the alleged attack took place off campus.

“This happened during RAG and there is a very big influx of young people who come to enjoy the event. There is no way we can say it was university students‚” Jacobs said.

Jacobs said the matter was handed over to the university protection services and was also being investigated. He added that the car registration numbers of two of the alleged attackers did not correspond with any other the students in the data base.

“If any of our students were involved they will go through the normal internal disciplinary measures. The university condemns any racial and violent acts in the strongest possible terms‚” Jacobs said.

North West police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Adele Myburgh said a case of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm was opened.

Myburgh was not able to give any more details except to say that the matter was still being investigated. She added that this was not the only incident that took place during RAG saying there were “hundreds of students running around doing stupid things”.

- Additional reporting by Siphe Macanda