Former media executive arrested for alleged sexual abuse

Former media bigshot and alleged rapist Willem Breytenbach was arrested at his psychologist's practice in Mossel Bay, in the Western Cape, on Tuesday.

Breytenbach has been accused of rape by Deon Wiggett, a Johannesburg copywriter, in a podcast series. Several other victims have come forward since the release of the podcast.

Police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk confirmed that a 56-year-old had been arrested. He did not mention Breytenbach by name, although other media have reported it, along with video footage of the arrest taking place.

Van Wyk said the suspect was arrested by detectives from the family violence, child protection and sexual offenders unit on Tuesday in the Mossel Bay area, adding that he is expected to appear in court soon.

Breytenbach is a former executive at Media24. According to coverage on its News24 site, Wiggett alleged that he was sexually assaulted by the media trainer. Breytenbach is also accused of molesting schoolboys at the schools he taught at. According to reports, 26 victims have come forward.

He is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Thursday on a charge of sexual assault.