The Apartheid Killer: 3. The Killing Machine

World of Secrets · 2024-08-05

The making of mass murderer Louis van Schoor. The “apartheid killer” was part of a system which enabled the shootings as “justifiable homicide”. As we investigate one of his most horrific crimes, we begin to expose the web of lies surrounding the killings and ask: how were they covered up?

Since this episode was recorded, it has been announced that Louis van Schoor died, on 25 July 2024. There will be more about this later in the series. 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 and torture, 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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World of Secrets

Global investigations from the BBC. Uncovering stories around the world and telling them, episode by episode, with gripping storytelling. Delve into a World of Secrets.

Latest season: The Killing Call. The murder of Indian music star Sidhu Moose Wala sent shock waves around the world. He was one of India’s biggest stars - a rebel who refused to be silenced. Sidhu Moose Wala was gunned down in rural Punjab, at the height of his success. Who wanted him killed? This is the hunt for answers in a murder that won’t be forgotten. A two-year-long investigation that exposes a tangled web of fame, power and vengeance and uncovers a criminal underworld that reaches far beyond India's borders.

The Hindi podcast version is available here: https://www.bbc.com/hindi/podcasts/p0lcbcc5

Also, previously on World of Secrets: Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods. Women accuse Mohamed Al Fayed of rape.

And: The Abercrombie Guys. Investigating sexual exploitation claims against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch.

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