Public racial attacks on the rise

Johannesburg - There have been a number of racial attacks in Gauteng since January this year. The recent alleged racial attack on Mirriam Ngomani and her husband-to-be Tobias Zehetleitner has put these attacks back in the spotlight. 

It is alleged that the catwalk queen was with her German partner when they were attacked by a group of white men at Time Square Casino in Menlyn Pretoria. 

It was reported that the couple was queuing to cash-out their winnings when another man flicked a lit cigarette towards Ngomani before allegedly referring to her as a baboon. 

The film star was left with a broken leg while the partner was left with a swollen eye. 

In March, a television and radio presenter Samora Mangesi tweeted photographs of injuries he sustained during an alleged racial attack. 

It was alleged that Mangesi was with his two female friends when they were called monkeys.

“On Friday night I was the victim of a racially motivated attack. After stopping to check on a group of young white people whose car had overturned, they called my friends & I ‘monkeys’. When we engaged them on why we were being called such, they beat me up until I was unconscious.” Mangesi wrote on Twitter. 

Mangesi was left with injuries to his face and bruises along the side of his body. 

In June, a pastor was attacked after filling up at a petrol station in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg. 

It was alleged that the pastor, Ron Rambebu had just filled up his car when he was attacked by a white man who was also filling up at the station. 

According to reports, Rambebu said as he was about to drive off, a man came towards his car window and started punching him. 

Rambebu added that he thought he was being hijacked and started closing his window, but couldn't.

 He further added that when he requested the CCTV footage from the garage, petrol attendants informed him that the attackers were commenting about the EFF cap he was wearing and called him a K-word.