OUDTSHOORN NEWS - A third suspect in the alleged assault of three children in Van der Riet Street over the past weekend appeared in the Oudtshoorn Magistrates' Court on Wednesday 18 February.
James Tait was arrested on Monday 16 February shortly after his wife, Gerda Tait, and her co-accused, Johann Scholtz, made their first court appearance. He faces three counts of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Gerda and Johann Scholtz were arrested on Sunday after a video circulated widely on Facebook showing a woman striking children with what appears to be a pipe. Two men are also visible in the footage, one holding a paintball gun, and another wearing a yellow reflector jacket.
According to the charge sheet, three children aged 11, 13, and 14 were involved in the incident. It is alleged that the children were struck with a pipe and shot with a paintball gun.
All three accused are expected to appear in court on Monday 23 February for a formal bail application.
Packed courtroom
The courtroom gallery was filled on Tuesday as the first two accused were brought before the magistrate. Several interested parties attended the proceedings, including three members of Parliament serving on the Police Portfolio Committee. The children's parents were also present.
Gerda and Johann each face three charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Although reports over the weekend suggested that the charges had been upgraded to attempted murder, it has since been confirmed that they currently face assault charges only. The charges may still be amended as investigations continue.
Speaking to the children's parents after the hearing, they expressed deep unhappiness about the manner in which their children were assaulted. According to them, the children had been in town on Friday for a sports event and were merely walking around and playing. The parents strongly denied that their children were involved in any criminal activity.
AfriForum responds to allegations
Residents have also questioned the involvement of AfriForum neighbourhood watch members in the incident.
Jacques Brooderyk, media spokesperson for AfriForum, said a distress call was received on Friday 13 February at 17:27 via the local neighbourhood watch group. A resident reported that three suspected street children were near a café. It was alleged that one of the children approached two schoolchildren returning from sports practice and pulled out a knife, apparently in an attempt to rob them.
After the child was confronted by a resident, the group reportedly ran towards another café, where a second incident was reported minutes later. It was suspected that the same children were involved. At the second café, the children allegedly threw stones and later threatened a customer with a knife, prompting the manager to intervene.
Brooderyk said neighbourhood watch members were first on the scene and gathered the children while attempts were made to contact the police.
"The children were asked whether they had been at the cafés earlier, and they confirmed that they had. Two knives were found in their possession and were handed over to the Oudtshoorn Police after the incident," he said.
According to Brooderyk, attempts to reach the police at the time were unsuccessful.
An enquiry was sent to the police regarding the knives, but no response had been received at the time of going to press.
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