Chilling testimonies and an arrest: What you need to know about My Only Story podcast

My Only Story is a four-part podcast by copywriter Deon Wiggett. It tells his story and that of other men who were allegedly raped or sexually assaulted and groomed by former teacher and Media24 executive Willem Breytenbach.

Here are five things you need to know about the podcast:

Background

Wiggett was allegedly raped by Breytenbach 22 years ago, when he was 17.

The trauma saw him suppress the memory until the grief that came with the recent death of his father.

Since then, he's been on a quest to find justice and more men to tell their stories through the podcast. The first of the four episodes was broadcast on November 7.

Motive 

Wiggett said he produced the podcast for four reasons: justice, activism, art and revenge. He told TimesLIVE he wanted to stop Breytenbach “from doing what he does”.

Women worldwide have been speaking up about their experiences of rape and sexual assault through the #MeToo movement. Wiggett hopes for the same outcome withMy Only Story.

“I feel like I had the responsibility to do something because I have the means and the drive to stand up. I blame my mother entirely. My parents raised us to be deeply moral and deeply ethical — if you see an injustice, you are the one who should do something about the injustice,” he told TimesLIVE.

Testimonies

During production, Wiggett reached out to men who had worked with and were taught by Breytenbach.

Police confirmed that three criminal cases and one inquiry docket had been opened.

News24 is the media partner to My Only Story. The organisation reported on Friday that 26 men had come forward to either Wiggett or News24 with claims of sexual assault and/or grooming.

Finding meaning

In the podcast, Wiggett said he had managed to make something “beautiful” out of the experience.

“I can never get back what Willem Breytenbach took from me, but that doesn't mean I can't make something beautiful out of it. That is what this podcast has been to me. I have taken everything that has happened to me and turned it into a flower,” he said in the last episode.

Arrest 

Breytenbach was arrested on Tuesday at his psychologist's practice in the Western Cape. He is expected to appear in the Cape Town magistrate's court on sexual assault charges on Thursday, TimesLIVE reported.

His lawyer, JC de Jager, confirmed that his client was in custody. He would not confirm whether Breytenbach would be denying the allegations, only saying it was a “sensitive” matter.