Zuma speaks out on Coffin assault pair: ‘let them face the full might of the law’

President Jacob Zuma has added his voice to those condemning the behaviour of two white men who allegedly forced Victor Mlotshwa into a coffin in Middelburg.

Zuma‚ addressing the National Council of Provinces at a gathering in East London on Friday‚ said the incident was “shocking‚ painful and despicable in the extreme”.

“The incident is a reminder of the deep-seated racist attitudes that still prevail among some in our country‚ who still regard black people as lesser human beings‚” he said.

“The perpetrators of this crime and all others who commit various acts of racism in our non-racial democracy must face the full might of the law.”

Theo Martins and Willem Oosthuizen‚ who allegedly assaulted and forced Mlotshwa into the coffin‚ appeared earlier this week in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court.

They abandoned their bid for bail‚ citing security concerns.

The hashtag #CoffinAssault trended on Twitter for a large part of the last week.