S/Africa probe alleged assault of students in Cuba

APA-Pretoria The South African government is investigating an incident in which local students studying in Cuba were allegedly assaulted by officials from the Caribbean island, an official said on Wednesday. Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said the South African authorities have launched a probe into a video doing the round in which…

APA-Pretoria (South Africa) The South African government is investigating an incident in which local students studying in Cuba were allegedly assaulted by officials from the Caribbean island, an official said on Wednesday.

Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said the South African authorities have launched a probe into a video doing the round in which South African medical students are allegedly being attacked by men in uniform in Cuba.

“The Department of Health would like to confirm that some of the people who appeared in the video clip currently circulating on social media, are indeed South African medical students based in Cuba,” Mohale said in a statement.

He said, working closely with the Department of International Relations and Co-operation and other relevant authorities, the department “has initiated a process to investigate circumstances which led to this unfortunate incident.”

The video shows a man being slapped by a uniformed man, while being restrained on a couch by another official.

The man is then dragged off amidst screaming, while the uniformed men assault more male students.

The South African embassy in Havana said it was aware of the video circulating on social media and said it was “engaging relevant authorities to investigate the situation.”