Free State police have upgraded an investigation into the alleged assault of black teenage boys at a holiday resort to an attempted murder case.

Police spokesperson, Brigadier Motantsi Makhele, said on Tuesday that the police would be changing the charges against the men – who allegedly attacked teenagers at a Free Estate resort – to attempted murder. This is because more information came to light during the investigation.

On Monday, Makhele said a case of common assault was under investigation after a group of men allegedly attacked two black teenagers at the Maselspoort Resort outside Bloemfontein on Christmas Day.

A video of the apparent racially-motivated confrontation has gone viral on social media.

Makhele said that police had initially opened a case based on information supplied by one of the victim’s parents, who alleged that the teens had been “assaulted by a group of white males over the usage of a swimming pool.”

Based on this information, “the only charges which could be registered were assault common and crimean injuria”, said Makhele.

After obtaining further statements, the docket was presented to the senior state prosecutor “who gave a directive that [the] charge can be changed to attempted murder given additional facts.”

“The docket was received back from the senior state prosecutor with clear directives. The investigator is now working on these directives and we anticipate that the perpetrator or perpetrators will within no time be brought before a court of law to account,” said Makhele.

Attempts to reach the Maselspoort Resort have been unsuccessful.

News24