One of South Africa’s most prolific criminal cases, “The Station Strangler”, will be streamed on Showmax.
The documentary delves into the world of serial killer Norman Afzal Simons, who is believed to have killed 21 young boys and one adult from the mid-80s to the mid-90s in the Cape Flats.
The school teacher was convicted of the rape and murder of 10-year-old Elroy van Rooyen and sentenced to 25 years in in 1995.
Twenty-eight years after his imprisonment, Simons was released on parole and placed under 24-hour monitoring in November 2023, opening up fresh wounds in a community where justice has been denied for decades.
Meanwhile, the true-crime feature documentary, which will premiere on November 6, is produced by IdeaCandy which brought viewers “Tracking Thabo Bester”, “Devilsdorp” “Steinheist” and “School Ties”.
It will feature interviews with family members of the victims as well as the lead investigator JD Kotze, serial killer profiler Dr Micki Pistorius and Dr Allan Boesak, among others.
It made its official debut at the Silwerskerm Film Festival in August, where it received widespread acclaim.
“The Station Strangler” is directed by Nadine Cloete, who won the Audience Award at Encounters for “Action Kommandant”.
Her other production, “Address Unknown”, won the South African Film & Television Awards (Saftas) in 2021 for Best Short Film.
She is also the Production and Development Manager for Non-Fiction at the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF).
She explained that she got involved with this project because she “felt this was a subject I would want to tackle because it is both a criminal case and a story of history and identity.”
“Twenty-one boys were killed,” she said in a statement.
“You think what it means for childhood, for people who grew up close to that community in that era. If I tell anyone that I’ve done a documentary about ‘The Station Strangler’, they have a story to share about their experience during that time.
She added: “I think that anyone who was triggered by the release of Norman Simons last year should definitely watch the film because the story touched an entire generation, people who still have questions should see the film.”
“It is a part of our people’s history and to fully understand our people, people need to see this film.”
Watch the trailer below: