KEY POINTS
- Legal documents established that Erlo Stegen who passed away abused children at his KwaSizabantu Mission.
- The accusations made against KwaSizabantu include severe physical abuse together with child rape and long-term solitary confinement.
- A whistleblower reports that KwaSizabantu Mission preserves abusive doctrines which contradict public statements about their activities.
Evidence has surfaced showing that KwaSizabantu Mission led by Erlo Stegen has faced multiple complaints regarding child abuse together with rape and harsh physical punishment.
The Christian organization operates aQuelle bottled water production plant in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. Law documents from Pretoria High Court in February reveal that Erlo Stegen the late leader of the mission believed God granted him the right to abuse children.
Accusations of severe child abuse and cult-like behavior
Initial legal documents show that Stegen instituted physical abuse of young children by using his belief that God had authorized the mistreatment.
According to the documents young children received excessive beatings at random times from Stegen because he received a divine message from God indicating the child needed punishment.
The disclosed information shows patterns of intense physical mistreatment and establishment of scared conditions which children experienced at the mission.
Erika Bornman functions as a central whistleblower in the legal proceedings where she joins the lawsuit against KwaSizabantu together with a Chapter 9 institution to demand compensation for an incorrect investigation of organization practices.
Since hitting the forty-year mark the group has shown more intense cult behaviors which have developed profound leader worship and harsh teachings.
Reports of sexual violence and human rights violations
The organization has received multiple allegations about maintaining a sexually violent community through child rape crimes and other sexual atrocities. The victims spent extensive periods in isolation while remaining without basic sanitation amenities and experiencing sexual assault based on their gender.
The institution apparently placed responsibility for abuse on victims which supported a misogynistic attitude and continued silence about abuse within the community.
Bornman doubts KwaSizabantu’s transformation because the organization holds onto its belief that child discipline requires breaking a child’s spirit before age three. He said “I refuse to accept KwaSizabantu’s claim about ending child abuse despite their public statements. Maybe not in public anymore, sure. The institution sees child mistreatment both as a divine right and obligation.”
The accusations leveled at KwaSizabantu force authorities to conduct stringent investigations into how their subjects have been mistreated given the dangerous scenario they face even today.
