R340.00
In The Devil Wears Sneakers, award-winning investigative journalist Hazel Friedman uncovers a largely hidden chapter of Jeffrey Epstein’s predatory network in South Africa. Drawing on extensive research and interviews with women who had not previously spoken publicly, Friedman examines how Cape Town became part of Epstein’s world and why South Africa held such significance for him. Unflinching, deeply reported and centred on survival as much as abuse, this is a powerful investigation into predation, silence, trauma and the truths that refuse to stay buried.
Available on backorder
Description
As the world gets to grips with sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s monstrosity, one dimension of his network has remained largely hidden: South Africa. Award-winning investigative journalist Hazel Friedman tracked down South African women whom Epstein had recruited and convinced them to share their stories.
Drawing on extensive research and interviewing sources who had not spoken out before, Friedman searches for answers: What attracted Epstein, notorious for his aversion to ‘dark girls’, to Africa? How did Cape Town become his hunting ground? And why did he want to buy a home in Bantry Bay?
As The Devil Wears Sneakers shows, Epstein’s South African exploits were not confined to luring aspirant models. In his murky world, wealth, espionage and geopolitics intersected with organised crime, and Friedman explores Epstein’s ties with politicians, powerbrokers and covert intelligence.
But this is not solely a story of predation and impunity. It is also about silence, trauma – and survival. The Devil Wears Sneakers is a work of relentless reporting and unflinching courage that proves some truths cannot stay buried.
About the author
Hazel Friedman is an award-winning South African investigative journalist, documentary filmmaker, author and cultural commentator whose work focuses on injustice, resilience and lives on the margins. She spent 15 years as a senior specialist producer with SABC’s Special Assignment, followed by two years with Fokus, where she produced stories across the full filmmaking process. Across journalism, film and writing, her work engages with politics, human rights, art, music and social justice, grounded in a belief in storytelling as a force for exposure, healing and change.
