Free State police on Wednesday arrested three men after an alleged racist incident at Maselspoort Resort and Conference Centre near Bloemfontein on Christmas Day.

Police spokesperson Brig Motantsi Makhele said: “We confirm there are three suspects arrested today. The first two are from Bothaville and Brandfort respectively: 33-year-old Johan Nel and 47-year-old Jan Stephanus van der Westhuizen.”

Makhele said they appeared in court on charges of assault and crimen injuria. They were released on a warning and the case was postponed to January 25.

He said the third suspect, a 48-year-old from Bloemdal in Bloemfontein, was arrested just after midday on Wednesday and will be charged with attempted murder.

He will remain in custody until his appearance in the Bloemfontein magistrate's court on Thursday.

A video clip shared on social media captured part of the incident at the resort. It depicted white men ordering a black teenager out of the water, then hitting or shoving him back in, grabbing a child by the throat and pulling his hair as the fracas escalated. One man was also seen holding a youngster under the water.

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