The ineffectiveness of these instruments of change when black men and black boys are the victims not the perpetrators, is an anti-black disposition where black people, particularly black males are seen as innately dangerous, immune from victimisation, eternally guilty and therefore not worthy of any kind of protection.
Skip to main content. Thabi Myeni. Sep 08, The Lost Boys of Bird Island. Log in or register to post comments reads. Discussion Forum. Africa in 50 years.. Some grammatical errors did not distract me from the content. Perhaps they have been I found this sad, but topical, controversial book riveting reading.
Perhaps they have been left as written for credibility purposes. View 1 comment. It was a good read, I thoroughly enjoyed Mark Minnie's point of view.
Apr 21, Destiny bibbles 'n' babbles rated it liked it. They sold this as a non fiction but there were 3 different versions of the book on Mark Minnie's laptop? If you are telling the truth, why omit certain information? The book investigates a paedophile network that allegedly included prominent members of the South African government and business community who took children to Bird Island where they were abused, and some possibly murdered.
It details the level of their involvement in the paedophile ring, abuse of the children, alleged acts of murder to cover up the crimes, as well as corruption and abuse of state resources by the network's members. The thing with this book is - whatever true or not , the results will be devastating.
People's lives have been ruined regardless and it's very easy to blame someone if they are not hear anymore because they can't defend themselves. The remains a few unanswered questions? Do not remain silent any longer. He had a nurse who was a contact at the hospital and she detailed an incident that happened when she was on night shift. She said a helicopter had landed, a patient was wheeled into the private ward by three men dressed in grey suits and only the matron was allowed to tend to him.
The nurse told Minnie she had peeked into the room and there was a young coloured boy being treated. There was, however, no record of the boy nor of him being in hospital. The matron who had helped the boy mysteriously disappeared, but Minnie tracked her down and she said she had been given R10, There was no mention of this matron again.. At the time he said he could not reveal information as it "violates patient confidentiality.
She said he had become a wine farmer and wrote to him to ask for any information about performing a life-saving operation on a young boy 30 years ago.
He took the same stance and said it violated patient confidentiality. Steyn mentions sources who detailed how the ministers had flown by helicopter to Bird Island. Steyn was told that the logs of passengers who were on the flights weren't likely to be found as the entire "record keeping system has collapsed. This location is allegedly "a farm" in Witelsbos, near Eerste Rivier, and was a property that belonged to the unnamed minister.
My final views on this that it is disturbing and that they should have gathered concrete evidence before publishing any material like this also I think that I won't put these horrible acts past anyone. Humans are capable of alot and terrible things. Anything is possible. Dec 31, Erika Schreuder rated it liked it. I waited for this story to come out for over twenty years.
I first read about it in the Sunday Times all those years ago. The story just died and I always wondered why. Every now and then I would try and see what happened to the story but there was nothing, until this book. I have no doubt that the allegations are true. However I think the book could have had more substance for instance copies of the newspaper articles written when the story first broke.
Jan 19, thelastword rated it really liked it. Then, they either got silenced like with a gun or they are still living and dying in comfort. The book is pretty roundabout and tedious, filled with details and vague hints. The dead perpetrators are mentioned by name but you can clearly see the writers holding back, either thinking of legal implications or safety risks.
A real life lesson that Apartheid teems with rotten stories not yet uncovered - and not uncovered because Apartheid is so alive and well that those who know are silent for their own safety. Feb 22, Riley rated it it was ok Shelves: non-fiction. This book was frustrating for multiple reasons: its subject matter, of course, which is nothing short of heartbreaking; begrudgingly conceding to the fact that lowlifes like those could simply get away with something as horrifying as this; and the writing and format of the book.
The difference in the tone of voice between both Mark and Chris is very apparent and not in a good way. One read like a YA novel, while the other had its journal This book was frustrating for multiple reasons: its subject matter, of course, which is nothing short of heartbreaking; begrudgingly conceding to the fact that lowlifes like those could simply get away with something as horrifying as this; and the writing and format of the book.
One read like a YA novel, while the other had its journalistic cadence. Although their levels do catch-up in the latter part of the book.
And then it kind of went downhill from there because it was all just reiteration of the same information by different people of all these different political organizations and parties.
Things started mashing together and then The book is over. Sep 22, Ann Weisz rated it liked it. Pity that the 3rd senior government official was not named in the book and even greater pity that no one has been charged with any offenses. Sep 25, Tania Kliphuis rated it liked it Shelves: print-books. While the subject matter is horrifying and important, I must admit that I found the style of writing off-putting. The details were sketchy, unexplained, and I couldn't help think that the investigation was not as in-depth as suggested.
Regardless, it's essential that South Africans investigate these awful allegations once more. I also suspect there are many more skeletons in the old SADF and NP closet, con While the subject matter is horrifying and important, I must admit that I found the style of writing off-putting.
I really wanted to like this book. I kept waiting for the book to pick up and the facts to be laid out, neither of which happened. The whole book is built around the heresay evidence of a teenage boy years ago, a boy that nobody can trace and whose name is unknown, even to the authors. Unfortunately the book fell far from my expectations.
Nov 19, Allo Love rated it really liked it. Aug 13, Colin Beazley rated it it was amazing. Heroes have feet of clay A stunning exposure that has the ring of truth about it. Those were years that those who were there knew that there were affairs afoot that were secret.
That these affairs seemingly included paedophilia, shocks me, even if it doesn't surprise. Read it. Aug 14, Fabiola Lola rated it liked it. Terribly sad that Mark Minnie had to die for writing this book. A few glaring spelling and grammar issues which Tafelberg Publishers should have ironed out. Jul 01, Ruvi rated it liked it.
This was a most gripping and compelling read. I liked the balance between the writing styles of Minnie and Steyn. Steyn on the other hand keeps quite a journalistic account of her experience with this story, without th This was a most gripping and compelling read. Steyn on the other hand keeps quite a journalistic account of her experience with this story, without the unnecessary fluff.
There has been a lot of debate about the credibility of the subject matter in this book and the controversy around it never seems to cease. Nobody did any due diligence. After nearly two years of investigation by the SAPS Special Child Protection unit led by high-ranking officers, they too have not found a single piece of evidence or witness or victim.
Fast forward to 3 March this year and NB Publishers, a subsidiary of Tafelberg, announced it was withdrawing a book that Steyn had co-authored with a former policeman from Port Elizabeth, Mark Minnie.
Now a website has been created which exposes all the falsehoods in the book in clinical detail and you can find it here.
The events which led to the creation of the website can be found here. I remember thinking at the time that the claims in the book had as little veracity as the Sunday Timesclaim that SARS was running a brothel. Victor writes that three days before the launch of the book, Minnie emailed Steyn and Lamprecht with the following concern:. We need a victim to come forward and make an accusation followed by an identification. Despite that, the book was launched with attendant publicity in all the Naspers newspapers and sent to bookshops to sell.
One can only assume that they were reassured by a legal opinion obtained by Tafelberg which pointed out that Malan and Wiley were dead, Du Plessis did not have the money required for protracted litigation and the law did not enable the families of these men to be granted financial recompense for the traumatic impact the book would inevitably have on their lives.
While that might have been valid in theory, it was devoid of morality and empathy and it did not take into account the ensuing outrage in the Afrikaans community. On 26 March last year the editor of Beeld, Barnard Beukman , wrote that the book was a low point in the history of South African publishing.
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