cover of episode The Apartheid Killer: 5. The Trial

The Apartheid Killer: 5. The Trial

2024/8/19
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Following a disastrous inquest, Louis van Schoor quits his security guard job and starts a dairy farm. His peaceful life is disrupted when he's arrested on multiple murder charges and his farm is firebombed, forcing him to sell everything and prepare for a major trial.
  • Van Schoor transitioned from security guard to dairy farmer.
  • He was arrested on his farm and charged with numerous murders.
  • His farm was firebombed, leading to financial ruin.
  • The trial is set to be one of the largest in South African history.

Shownotes Transcript

The reckoning of Louis van Schoor. Can justice be done or would he be cleared of the killings? This is the inside story of what was one of South Africa’s biggest criminal trials – van Schoor faces multiple charges of murder. We hear the original audio tapes from the courtroom. The police said that he was justified in using maximum force.

Since this episode was recorded, it has been announced that Louis van Schoor died, on 25 July 2024. There will be more about this in the final episode. This was a four-year investigation and the interviews with Louis van Schoor were recorded in 2022 and 2023.

Please note, this episode of World of Secrets includes descriptions of violence, which some listeners may find distressing.

Season 3 of World of Secrets is a collaboration with the BBC World Service investigations unit, Africa Eye. Here’s a link to the BBC Africa Eye film, which we recommend you watch after listening to this podcast: https://youtu.be/QPB42_uLLh0 If you are in the UK, you can watch on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021dvm

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