‘Boys of Bird Island’ Exposé Book Withdrawn in Carte Blanche Shock Reveal

Billed as an exposé of paedophile rings involving former National Party cabinet ministers and coloured boys on Bird Island off Port Elizabeth in the 1980s, the controversial “Lost Boys of Bird Island” book has now been withdrawn by its publishers; and unsold copies removed from bookstores.

Tonight Carte Blanche reveals new evidence, exposed this week, that suggests key events depicted in the book could not possibly have happened.

Watch the show on Sunday evening in SA on DStv Now; and if you’re overseas you can stream it from Tuesday (in most countries).

The book alleged that senior National Party cabinet ministers during apartheid – including former Defence Minister Magnus Malan (who passed away in 2011) – had taken coloured boys to the island in Algoa Bay for illicit rendezvous.

Tonight Carte Blanche speaks to Barend du Plessis, one of the minsters named in media reports on the book. He has been given a formal apology for being linked to the allegations.

Lost Boys of Bird Island co-author, former policeman Mark Minnie died in mysterious circumstances just a week after the controversial book was published, in August 2018. Minnie, who had written the book with journalist Chris Steyn, died from a bullet wound to the head in a suspected suicide. Steyn was reportedly subjected to repeated attempts at intimidation.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) opened an investigation into the 30-year-old allegations in late 2018 after the book’s publishers – Tafelberg – submitted new information to SAPS following “a number of victims coming forward and giving written statements of alleged sexual abuse related to the allegations in the book”.

There had been an earlier investigation into the ring, but it was brought to an end by police in the ’80s. The Lost Boys of Bird Island was written and published in the hope that a proper investigation would be conducted.

Other businessmen and ministers were named, two of whom reportedly died from suicide in 1987.

However on tonight’s episode of Carte Blanche – a 90-minute extended version – another side to the story will be revealed as new evidence emerged this week undermining a central part of the story and casting more doubt on the book which has already been discredited for containing more fiction than fact.

Producer: Liz Fish | Presenter: Derek Watts

Watch the show overseas | Watch in SA on DStv Now

Media24 has apologised for the publication of defamatory statements regarding Mr Barend Du Plessis in the books “The Lost Boys of Bird Island” and “Die Seuns Van Bird Island” and for the emotional harm that the publication of the books may have caused the Malan and Wiley families. Follow this link to the relevant apologies.

Other stories on Carte Blanche tonight, Sunday 8 March 2020, include:

Investigative  >  E X P O S É

The Corrupt Billionaire: Isabel dos Santos

With a fortune estimated at around US$2.2 billion, Africa’s richest woman Isabel dos Santos is under criminal investigation in her homeland. The BBC’s Panorama chronicles how the daughter of former Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos has been exposed through the “Luanda Leaks” project, which saw around 715,000 documents like emails, contracts and accounts from 1980 to 2018 detail the billionaire’s business operations. While 30% of Angolans live on less than US$2 a day, this film investigates how Dos Santos exploited her country at the expense of ordinary Angolans.
Producer: BBC Panorama

https://www.facebook.com/carteblanchetv/videos/682748895866219/

Watch the show overseas | Watch in SA on DStv Now

Renal Roulette

They say it’s like playing Russian roulette with patients’ lives. With limited resources in the public sector for relatively pricey, but life-saving treatments like dialysis, state hospitals are forced to ration these services, resulting in thousands of patients not getting the urgent care they need. Carte Blanche investigates what the future holds for South Africans with chronic kidney disease if they don’t qualify for kidney transplants.

Producer: Sophia Phirippides | Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli

Watch the show overseas | Watch in SA on DStv Now

Residents Fight Back

It was a landmark ruling – the Makhanda High Court ordering the Makana Municipality to be dissolved and placed under administration for violating its constitutional mandate by failing to provide basic services to the community. Now as mismanagement and corruption continue to plague most municipalities around the country, this new court judgment is helping fed-up residents finally fight back.

Producer: Ntokozo Miya and Mduduzi Miya | Presenter: Claire Mawisa

Watch the show overseas | Watch in SA on DStv Now

https://youtu.be/ZltyUAK87Fg

If you’re in SA – you can watch Carte Blanche on DStv Now.

If you’re overseas – you can watch #CarteBlanche from Tuesdays, and thousands of other popular local South African shows & movies by subscribing to Showmax International now. You can try it FREE for 14 days. 

Carte Blanche is on M-Net & M-Net HD [101], February 23, 2020 at 19:00 & again on M-Net Plus 1 [901] at 20:00

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