• Mission of Malice

  • My Exodus from KwaSizabantu
  • By: Erika Bornman
  • Narrated by: Danielle Scheepers
  • Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (9 ratings)

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Mission of Malice  By  cover art

Mission of Malice

By: Erika Bornman
Narrated by: Danielle Scheepers
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Publisher's summary

'She is given a savage beating, the adults impervious to her screams. I have to look at her. I am not allowed to look away and I am not allowed to cry. I am not allowed to show any emotion at all. Because if I do, I will be next.’

In the 1980s, Erika Bornman’s family join, and ultimately move to, KwaSizabantu, a Christian mission based in KwaZulu-Natal, which is touted as a nirvana, founded on egalitarian values. But something sinister lurks beneath ‘the place where people are helped’.

Life at KwaSizabantu is hard. Christianity is used to justify harsh punishments, and congregants are forced to repent for their sins. Threats of physical violence ensure adherence to stringent rules. Parents are pitted against children. Friendships are discouraged. Isolated and alone, Erika lives in constant fear of eternal damnation.

At 17, her grooming at the hands of a senior mission counsellor begins. For the next five years, KwaSizabantu wages emotional, psychological and sexual warfare on her, until, finally, she manages to break free and walk away at the age of 21.

Escaping a restrictive religious community is difficult, but rehabilitation into ‘normal’ life after a decade of ritual humiliation, brainwashing and abuse is much more painful, as Erika soon discovers. She cannot ignore her knowledge of the grievous human-rights abuses being committed at KwaSizabantu, and so she embarks on a quest to expose the atrocities. With her help, News24 launches a seven-month investigation, culminating in a podcast that will go on to win the internationally renowned One World Media Award for Radio and Podcast in 2021.

In Mission of Malice: My Exodus from KwaSizabantu, Erika chronicles her journey from a fearful young girl to a fierce activist determined to do whatever it takes to save future generations and find personal redemption and self-acceptance.

©2021 Penguin Random House South Africa (P)2021 Penguin Random House South Africa

What listeners say about Mission of Malice

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A tale of two missions

I loved the narrator. she really captured the personality of the author. There's a lot of documentation but the author's sense of humor keeps it readable. The author also talks about hard things, but shares all the good things that has happened to her as well. It's her life's mission against the mission of malice.

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More questions than answers

I couldn't help but think that this was happening in my era. So sad to learn that this is on our own doorstep. I feel for the subjected individuals. All does not seem well.

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Beautifully Written & Well Read

A challenging and complicated unfolding of a very difficult life. Bornman shares a challenging life story of her life brought up in a cult. My hope is that this detailed account is enough to begin the unfolding of KSB. Danielle Scheepers has read Bornman’s book so well too. I was captivated and devoured every second of these words in no time!

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