The Station Strangler: a focus on past dark horrors

A cold wind swept through the streets of Camps Bay, carrying with it an unsettling stillness that mirrored the heaviness inside the Theatre on the Bay. It was the first screening of The Station Strangler, a new Showmax documentary directed by Nadine Cloete, and the smell of popcorn mingled with the collective grief that hung in the air.

The film explores the terror of the late 1980s and early ’90s that gripped communities in the Western Cape. Bodies of young boys were discovered scattered in the desolate fields that bordered Mitchells Plain — hands bound, bodies violated and strangled. The Station Strangler, as the elusive killer came to be known, preyed on the most vulnerable young boys. His reign of terror spanned almost a decade, claiming the lives of 21 boys and one adult.

At the Silwerskerm film festival in Cape Town, the first screening saw families of the Station Strangler’s victims sit in quiet agony, their faces etched with the pain of memories too vivid to fade. Florence van Rooyen could not hold back her grief. Her sobs broke the silence, each tear streaming down her face a poignant reminder of a life stolen too soon.

The boys, aged between eight and 13, were all lured from the safety of their homes or neighbourhoods. The killer’s modus operandi was chillingly consistent: he would abduct his victims, rape and strangle them, leaving their lifeless bodies buried in shallow graves, often near train stations.

Elroy van Rooyen, just 10 years old, vanished on March 11, 1994, while out with his cousin Ryno, both trying to earn pocket money by pushing trolleys at a Pick n Pay in Strand. After a man with a scar asked for help carrying five boxes, the boys agreed, enticed by the promise of a R10 tip. When Ryno noticed the boxes were empty, he urged Elroy to leave. But Elroy stayed, trusting the stranger. As Ryno ran home, he turned back to see his cousin board a train with the man. It was the last time he saw him alive.

After a harrowing two-week search, Elroy’s body was found near Melton Rose station, his hands bound behind his back, strangled with his tracksuit pants. In his pocket, a red spinning top, his favourite toy.   

The search for the Station Strangler was one of the most extensive manhunts in South African history. In 1994, police were desperate to catch the predator, in a country on the brink of a new dawn, with the first democratic elections promising hope and change. But even as the nation rejoiced in its newfound freedom, the shadow of the Station Strangler lingered. Though a suspect, Norman Simons, was arrested and convicted, many believe the real killer was never caught, leaving an enduring fear that the monster who terrorised the Western Cape might still be out there, waiting. 

Cloete’s chilling new documentary revisits this dark chapter in South Africa’s history, peeling back the layers of fear, sorrow and unanswered questions that still haunt those who lived through the horror. 

Cloete is a formidable force in South African filmmaking, known for her fearless explorations of the country’s most poignant and untold stories. She brings her unique lens to one of the country’s darkest chapters, infusing the documentary with a depth of empathy and meticulous storytelling.

Cloete, who previously garnered acclaim for her documentary Action Kommandant, which chronicled the life of anti-apartheid activist Ashley Kriel, has a deep-rooted passion for social justice and the complexities of South African history. Her work often dives into the lives of those forgotten by mainstream narratives, unearthing stories that demand to be heard.

A Cape Town native, Cloete’s connection to her subjects is palpable, her films resonating with the weight of personal and collective memory. With The Station Strangler, she continues to challenge and redefine documentary filmmaking, blending rigorous research with a sensitivity that ensures the voices of the victims and their families are heard with the dignity they deserve. 

Feeling a sense of duty towards the story, Cloete said she remembers the fear the Station Strangler instilled in her while growing up.

“I remember the general fear of the Station Strangler. That’s why the story is so interesting, because besides Norman Simons, the figure of the strangler was the boogie man of all kids of colour. You were in fear of this myth whether you lived in Mitchells Plain or not. I remember having nightmares of going home by train. If you speak to anyone of a certain age, this story touches them. It was a part of our childhood,” Cloete said.

To the residents of the Cape Flats, the Station Strangler became their very own Freddy Krueger, a figure of unimaginable horror who preyed on the vulnerable, and after his arrest that figure became Norman Simons. Simons, a schoolteacher, was arrested and convicted in 1995 for the murder of 10-year-old Elroy van Rooyen, one of the victims believed to have been killed by the Station Strangler.

After serving 28 years in prison, Simons was released on parole in July 2023, though many still question whether he was truly responsible for all the murders. 

One of those who question Simons’ arrest is former magistrate Ruth Jakuja, who believes mistakes were made in the case against Simons. After receiving a copy of the trial records of the case, the retired magistrate authored The Station Strangler: In the case of S v Avzal S. Simons, in which she explores errors which led to Simons’ arrest and conviction.

“I kept the record for over a decade, reading it repeatedly, hoping that one day after reading it, I would feel Norman was where he belonged, in prison. That never happened. Did he deserve to spend close to 30 years in jail? I say no,” Jakuja said.

This is an aspect Cloete’s documentary explores. For Jakuja when the police labelled Simons as the Station Strangler, people didn’t question it, they believed it “hook, line and sinker”, despite not presenting evidence to support the claims.

“There are people who do not want to hear this but it’s the Bible truth. Norman Simons is not the Station Strangler and if I was a betting person I would bet my bottom dollar on it. Even Google has him as the Station Strangler but the true state of affairs is that there is no evidence whatsoever anywhere that he is,” Jakuja said.

This is little solace for the families of the boys who were brutally murdered and discarded like rubbish. For Ryno van Rooyen, now a father, Simons’ release has opened old wounds. Watching the documentary together with the families of Neville Samaai and Marcelino Cupido, the room felt smaller with every cry, each one echoing the loss of innocent lives, drawing everyone deeper into the heart-wrenching tragedy that still haunts a community.

For the Van Rooyen family, justice has not been served. Florence said the news of Simons’ release felt “like someone was stabbing me with a knife through my heart. I was so embittered, I was so hurt and so broken... Norman doesn’t deserve to be on the outside.”

Ryno, who identified Simons in an identity parade after his arrest, said he never thought Simons would be released.

“I’ve started worrying and every so often I’ll grow quiet again ... just thinking. In my heart I’m still petrified because I have children of my own and I wonder won’t he come for my children? I slowly started realising that this thing is starting all over again now that he’s on the outside,” Ryno said.   

Through The Station Strangler, Cloete probes the deep questions of race, identity and inequality that lie at the heart of the case. By giving a voice to the families and victims who were silenced for so long, Cloete challenges the system that failed these communities. Her film confronts the stark realities of why the murders went unsolved for years, exposing the racial and social disparities that left so many vulnerable and unheard.

“Even today we are still struggling with the issue of equality. These killings started in 1986 and 22 children were killed over a period of eight years. What was done in those eight years? It is only in 1994 when the police were under a global spotlight that there was suddenly a flurry of activity. The truth is that the lives of those children did not matter much because of who they were and where they came from,” Jakuja said.

This is a truth that Cloete’s documentary forces us to confront, as South Africa continues to grapple with the enduring scars of inequality and injustice, reminding us that the past still echoes in the present, demanding answers and accountability for the lives that were lost.