Episode 51: Poppie Van der Merwe (Part 2)

Suffer the Little Children

Suffer the Little Children Pod

Social Sciences, True Crime, Society & Culture, Science

4.6 • 993 Ratings

🗓️ 24 February 2021

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In episode 50, I began telling you the story of a three-year-old girl named Poppie Van der Merwe, whose utterly preventable death shocked the nation of South Africa. After multiple reports that Poppie and her five-year-old brother were being abused, social services became involved, but the family moved to avoid the investigation. Three weeks later, Poppie was dead, and in this episode, I’ll go over the events that followed the arrests of both her stepfather and her mother.
This is the story of the murder of a blonde, blue-eyed little doll whose smile stole the hearts of an entire country. It’s also a sadly familiar story of the failure of an agency tasked with protecting children despite countless warning signs and multiple reports from those close to the family.
This is part 2 of the heartbreaking story of Poppie Van der Merwe.
Francois Nolte’s short film based on Poppie's story, Porselein, can be viewed here. (https://filmfreeway.com/Porcelain013)
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This podcast is written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.
For more stories like Poppie’s, visit Suffer the Little Children Blog.
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Transcript

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0:00.0	Oh, he's cute. Mr. I can never sleep when I'm traveling. He's hugging his pillow like a sloth on a branch.
0:10.0	He couldn't sleep before. Now listen to him. Sounds like an elephant with a chest infection.
0:15.0	Well, they call him a dreamer. And now they're right.
0:19.0	All aboard, Mr. I can never sleep when I'm traveling.
0:23.0	Find all the comfort you need in the quiet lounge.
0:26.0	Piando Ferries, there is another way.
0:29.0	Ah, she's brilliant.
0:31.0	Miss, I finally got plans out the group chat. We get it.
0:34.8	Four votes for a festival, three for a city break. It's hard to adhere to everyone's needs.
0:38.8	There's Betty with her oversized tent. Sarah and her six foot eight boyfriend.
0:43.2	All right.
0:44.0	Roger Jr. and his dog, Roger Senior.
0:46.8	And don't get us started on Mel.
0:49.4	But, like a marriage counselor, she's the one keeping things together.
0:52.6	All aboard Miss I finally got plans out the group chat.
0:55.6	Keep everyone's plans alive when you travel with us.
0:58.0	P and Dau Ferris, there is another way.
1:00.0	This podcast contains descriptions of violence against children and adult language and is not suitable for all audiences.
1:06.8	Listen or discretion is advised. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Hi everyone and welcome to
1:49.8	to suffer the little children the true crime podcast giving voices Back to the Victims of Child Abuse
1:55.0	And shining a harsh spotlight on the parents,
1:57.0	Guardians and Caretakers who silence them.
	...

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