With at least three victims of the sexual assault and torture that allegedly happened at ZanZou club in Pretoria having come forward, a civil society organisation that cares for the boy child has called on South Africans to give them all the support they can.
The call by the Dlalisa Moeni Foundation comes amid concerns that some of the victims may be reluctant to come forward fearing possible stigma.
Foundation Chairperson Bongani Skosana urged victims to come forward.
“The foundation calls on those affected, especially those seen in the widely circulated video, to reach out for support. We are committed to assisting them in any way possible to help them rebuild their lives,” said Skosana.
He expressed concern that more younger men could possibly have fallen victim since the club is located right at the heart of Pretoria’s student community Hatfield.
“The area that ZanZou is, I mean is a student community. Parents send their kids there to get educated but obviously the night life catches up with them and the biggest challenge with the boy child, the effort to try to fit in, they want to be there and buy drinks that they can’t afford,” said Skosana.
One 41 year old Congolese man has been arrested in connection with the incident and authorities have not ruled out more arrests with the public continuing to call for the owner Stephane Cohen who has reportedly skipped the country along with a co-owner, to be arrested.
Political parties have also led calls for the owners to be held accountable. Both the EFF and MK held demonstrations outside the establishment and foiled an attempt to move equipment out of the place which has since been cordoned off as investigations continue.
The abuse which included stripping victims and assaulting them sexually as well as drowning them was captured on video shared on social media by a character known as Pablo who worked as bouncer at ZanZou and has claimed there’s been killings as well.
Police confirmed in a missing person file that a man identified as Kulani Shirinda who disappeared in August 2023 was last seen having drinks at ZanZou and his family continues to search for him.
Skosana echoed calls for harsh punishment for the perpetrators.
“As an organization dedicated to the well-being of the boy child and shaping young boys into responsible men, we find this incident deeply disturbing and unacceptable. We believe that those responsible must face the appropriate consequences, as such blatant disregard for human dignity and human rights cannot be tolerated,” he said.