The alleged rape victim of a well-known Cape Town jazz musician has come out on social media to identify himself and speak of his ordeal.
For the first time since his explosive allegations came to light, singer Kyle Darries, 22, has publicly accused his former mentor and teacher of rape, sexual grooming and sexual assault.
The accused, who may not be identified in the media according to a court order, was arrested and has already appeared in court as the matter is being investigated by police.
A video of Kyle detailing his abuse was shared by the #Sayhisname Facebook campaign, headed by the Reverend June Dolley-Major, on Thursday night.
The video went viral and was viewed almost 4000 times in two days, and while Kyle does not mention the name of his alleged rapist, it appears on the screen.
Kyle, dressed in a white jersey, and with only his head and shoulders visible, starts off by explaining that he was a student at a music school where the suspect groomed him from a young age.
Previously, Kyle’s father said the assaults started when his son was 14 years old and only stopped when he turned 20.
He said the suspect, who was a family friend, would also often give his son a lift to and from the school.
In the video, an emotional Kyle, says: “It took me a while to build up, sort of, the courage to do this. It took a lot of communication… and it took a lot of people that have (gone) through the same thing to allow me to get to this point and tell my story now.
“My story dates back... probably eight years now, where I only decided to come out a year ago to my family and people that I really care about.
“I am a victim of rape, molestation and sexual grooming.”
The Kuils River man said he felt “trapped and alone”.
“I felt used, you feel worthless, you are being used as someone’s pleasuring tool.
“Going through this abuse, through this grooming, through this molestation - I won’t wish it on my worst enemy because not even they deserve to go through that and not for the time period of how long I went through it, where thankfully it just stopped. It just stopped.”
Yesterday, in reaction to the video, Kyle’s 45-year-old father told the Daily Voice: “We will not do interviews at this stage. Kyle put the video out as an encouragement to others who went through the same thing. We have no control over what others post or write, so we will let the legal process unfold and then we will put out an official statement.”
The accused musician will appear in the Blue Downs Magistrates’ Court on 2 July again where prosecutors will re-evaluate the evidence against him and possibly set a date for trial.