School Ties, a ground-breaking, harrowing four-part documentary series about the grooming and sexual abuse of learners at some of South Africa's most prominent, prestigious boys' schools, comes to M-Net Channel 101 on 16 May at 9 pm.
Produced by Devilsdorp, Steinheist and Convict Conman producers Idea Candy, the docuseries series uncovers the truth behind grooming and abuse in schools across the country, the aftermath and what government, schools and society are doing to stop abuse in its tracks.
Exploring how grooming can take place and what the lifelong effects are in the series is a team of experts in children's rights, child protection and other legal, psychological and law enforcement areas.
Episode 1: Nec Aspera Terrent
Childline South Africa CEO Dumisile Nala and Child Protection and Development Specialist Luke Lamprecht contribute their insights to Episode 1, which explores the suicide of 16-year-old Thomas Kruger on the grounds of the prestigious St Andrew's College, which led to the uncovering of allegations of grooming by Thomas's water polo coach.
Nala is a seasoned professional with a background in social work, having graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her career journey began at Childline KZN, where she dedicated four years, starting as a Social Worker and eventually rising to the role of Assistant Director.
After spending eight years in the United Kingdom, honing her expertise in various aspects of child welfare, she returned to South Africa in 2008, joining the Childline National Office as the Assistant National Director before assuming the position of Chief Executive Officer of Childline South Africa in May 2009.
With her wealth of experience and dedication to child advocacy, she continues to make impactful strides in safeguarding the well-being of children nationwide.
With three decades of experience working in the non-profit and child protection sector, Luke Lamprecht is a thought leader on child protection and development. He works with children in conflict with the law, children with autism, children with behavioural challenges and psychiatric diagnoses, and children in mainstream schooling.
He is an expert consultant on child protection and development; sexual abuse; and toxic masculinity. Luke has in depth understanding on the child and teenage brain and is currently completing his MSc in Neurodevelopment at WITS within the Department of Paediatrics and Pathology.
Episode 2: Arise
In Episode 2, which delves into how former Parktown Boys' High School educator Collan Rex normalised violent and sexual behaviour in the boarding house and in the swimming pool, child protection activist and journalist Robyn Wolfson Vorster offers her insights.
Her NPO, For the Voiceless, is dedicated to advocating for vulnerable children by amplifying their voices and driving legislative and policy changes. For the Voiceless conducts in-depth research on children's issues and collaborates with various stakeholders, including children's rights organizations, academics, legal experts and caregivers, to assess existing strategies and advocate for necessary reforms.
Through lobbying efforts and storytelling, the organization aims to ensure that abused, abandoned, orphaned, neglected, and vulnerable children receive the care and support they deserve. Robyn has also published more than 75 articles about children and their vulnerabilities - mostly for the Daily Maverick.
Episode 3: Lux Vita Caritas
In the series' penultimate episode, Clinical Psychologist Marita Rademeyer brings her expertise to explain how Julio Murdoh and numerous other boys were allegedly abused by a coach at St John's College - and how the long-term psychological damage may have led to Julio taking his own life while at a treatment centre, a decade later.
Rademeyer is a seasoned clinical psychologist with a profound dedication to supporting children and families affected by trauma and abuse over the past three decades. With a focus on managing inappropriate sexual behaviours in children and advocating against the harmful impacts of pornography on young minds, she has become a leading voice in her field.
Marita's expertise extends to co-authoring several influential books, including Voices of Hope and Rainbows of Hope, which offer healing stories tailored for Africa's children. Additionally, her contributions to works such as Protect Children and Help them Heal and Psychological First Aid for Children, Adolescents and Families further highlight her commitment to empowering both caregivers and young individuals alike.
Episode 4: Nemo Resideo
The final episode details 'Operation Nemo', an investigation into a ring of school coaches who are accused of sex offences. The operation, led by SAPS Colonel Heila Niemand, shocked the country with its discoveries.
Colonel Niemand lends her insights to this episode as the Lead Investigating Officer of Operation Nemo and Head of the family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit for SAPS.
With more than 30 years of dedicated service, she leads the charge in investigating sexual offences, high-profile cases concerning women and children, and instances of child exploitation. Heila earned her National Diploma in Police Administration from the University of South Africa, further bolstering her expertise in law enforcement.
Former international tennis player Olivia Jasriel is renowned as a trailblazer for historical abuse cases, having achieved landmark convictions against disgraced tennis player Bob Hewitt in 2015 for the abuse he perpetrated while she was coached by him as a child.
This contributed to the abolishment of the 20-year limit on reporting sexual crimes in 2018 and in the past few years assisted victims of abuse in sport in obtaining convictions for the abuse they experienced while in the care of their coaches.
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As Founding Member of The Jasriel Foundation, Olivia has dedicated herself to combating sexual predators in sports, collaborating with organizations like Women and Men Against Child Abuse for over 13 years, Unchain our Children and SayHisName. In 2020, Olivia was elected to serve on the SASCOC Safeguarding Policy and Education Working Group but has subsequently removed herself and became a Board Member for SASCA in 2022.
In 2023, Olivia was invited to speak in parliament in the UK, where she addressed 46 parliamentarians from around Europe. The topic of discussion was the the re-iteration of unity against abuse in sport.
At the end of 2023, the Jasriel Foundation were successful in working with the Shadow Minister of Sports Arts and Culture and Deputy Minister Mafu instructed that all Federations were to report back annually on their safeguarding milestones.
School Ties aims to bring into focus the solutions and interventions that need to be adopted to safeguard learners at schools. Although the tragedies that have occurred are heart-breaking, there is the opportunity to ensure that we review and address the systems that should be protecting learners.
Watch School Ties on M-Net (DStv channel 101), at 9 pm CAT, each week for four weeks, from May 16. The series will also live-stream on DStv Stream and will be available on DStv Catch Up after broadcast.
