Families frustrated as St John’s Prep abuse case hits snag

The families of victims linked to a decades-long sexual abuse case are frustrated that the court matter has hit a snag.

The accused, a former St John’s Preparatory School teacher, made a brief appearance at the Johannesburg High Court on Wednesday. The 52-year-old faces 25 charges of assault, grooming, and child abuse.

The judge postponed the matter to November 20 for a pre-trial conference.

The families of victims were dressed in white and denim, alongside another group from the Stop the Trauma of Pupils in Schools (STOPS) organisation. One of the placards displayed the face of Julio Mordoh, who died by suicide weeks after reporting his sexual assault to the police in 2021.

His mother, Teresa Mordoh, said they have waited long for this day and want justice to prevail.

“Losing our child in such a traumatic way has been retraumatising for the whole family, and I don’t think that ever stops,” Mordoh said. “There is not a day that goes by that we don’t think about him, that we don’t talk to him.”

The matter was postponed to allow the judge and the legal representatives of both sides to meet and discuss the readiness to go to trial, address any issues, and schedule deadlines for the exchange of documents.