Failure to produce Goldman report leaves victims open to further abuse
22 August 2021
The DA has submitted an appeal to our Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application in order to obtain the Goldman Report into allegations of sexual abuse at Swim South Africa (SSA).
The Goldman Report sheds light on the SSA-commissioned investigation into allegations that swim coaches at the federation are sexually abusing swimmers, some of them minors.
The truth is that sexual misconduct seems to have been swept under the carpet at SSA for a long time. The federation seems more intent on protecting its reputation and protecting the vile predators than it does the mental and physical well-being of its swimmers.
Under Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007 it is an offence to fail to report knowledge of the sexual abuse of minors to the South African Police Service (SAPS), but this seems to be the case where SSA officials have not only continued to violate the trust of their swimmers and so placed them in harms’ way, but have also broken the law by failing to open cases against the alleged abusers at the federation. If SSA has indeed followed the letter of the law, the DA challenges SSA president Alan Fritz to provide the evidence that they have done so.