'The truth must come out'
2008-02-15 08:51
Leon-Ben Lamprecht and Le Roux Schoeman
Cape Town - Although he revealed in a magazine article that he was seriously considering laying a charge of indecent assault against the man who allegedly fondled him, Robbie Klay told Die Burger on Thursday that he was not planning to "lay any charge of any kind".
The 21-year-old singer and actor spoke to Die Burger from a farm in Mpumalanga where he and his fiancée had "gone to rest and get away from everybody for a few days".
Well-known people from the music industry expressed their shock and sadness about the fact that Klay, who alleged that he had been sexually molested for years, had been gagged.
They believe the truth must be told.
Singer Jurie Els's legal team on Wednesday night managed to obtain a court order gagging Huisgenoot and YOU from publishing an article in which Klay opens up about his alleged molestations as a child. It remained an open question who the person was.
"Klay tells, among other things, how a man sexually molested him over years, took him everywhere and slept with him even on the man's parents' farm," said Esmaré Weideman, editor of Huisegenoot and YOU.
Singer Patricia Lewis said the music industry was in a state of shock about the story.
"I spoke to him the other day. We cried a bit. It's very sad. I'm sorry for everybody who is involved."
About the interdict she said: "I'm surprised it succeeded. It's a sad story. But time will tell and the truth will, I hope, prevail. If it's the truth, there must be consequences." She added that there was no winner in the story.
Sonja Herholdt said the incidents were incredibly heartbreaking. "The bottom line is one cannot run away from the truth. It's so sad, so many people get hurt."
Heroldt said the important thing now was for the truth to come out. "The truth sets one free. In the end it will set Robbie free. It will also help others to tell the truth. The truth must come out, it helps with the healing."
"Many people, including the man, clearly don't understand why after so many years I've decided to talk to Die Burger about the molestation," said Klay.
"From the start I put it clearly that I didn't want anybody to go to jail or destroy any person's life. Because I went through it, I know about the humiliation and hurt such children go through.
"Many people blame me for not wanting to lay charges. I understand their argument, but I don't want more lives to be destroyed. My own suffering was enough."
According to Childline, a large percentage of the people who approached them (often about indecent assault during their childhood) were adults.
"We call them adult survivors," said Busi Sambo from Childline Gauteng.