In a shocking YouTube video, Gabriel “Tokkie” du Preez, the adopted son of Die Antwoord members Yolandi Visser and Ninja, has alleged years of abuse allegedly suffered at the hands of his adoptive parents.
The duo had adopted du Preez and his younger sister in 2010 as part of a foster parenting agreement with their biological mother. In a 44-minute interview with former Die Antwoord filmmaker Ben Jay Crossman, Tokkie graphically outlines the alleged abuse in explicit detail.
According to du Preez, the duo had allegedly adopted him to be “a slave”, and he was forced to record videos of him degrading his biological family for being poor. He goes on to claim that he and his sister were forced to undress in front of them on a regular basis and that Yolandi exposed herself to him when he was just 13 years old. He was allegedly demonized for his rare skin condition, and made to feel as if he were ‘the devil’ and could ‘burn people in hell’.
Further allegations by du Preez claim that the duo had them partake in rituals that involved drawing blood, as well as introducing them to pornography, drugs, and alcohol at a young age.
Du Preez and his sister have previously appeared in the group’s music videos, “I Fink U Freeky” and “Ugly Boy“.
You can watch the allegations in full via the video below. To date, the group has not made an official statement on the matter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YenOVzUonFA
It should be noted that this is not the first time sexual assault allegations have been leveled against the group. In 2019, Australian musician Zheni Sparks released a diss track called “The Question” accusing Jones of sexually assaulting her in 2013. According to Zheni, she alleges that Jones trafficked her from South Africa and sent explicit photos of her to the cast members of Chappie. She additionally alleged that Jones showed an interest in her because she reminded him physically of his own daughter Sixteen Jones who at the time of the alleged incidents, was only eight.
American singer Dionna Dal Monte also has accused Jones of abuse, but to date, no charges have been filed for any of these claims, and Jones has vehemently denied all allegations against him.
Die Antwoord is a South African alternative Hip hop group formed in Cape Town in 2008. The group consists of Ninja (Watkin Jones), Yolandi Visser (Anri du Toit), and producers HITEK5000 and Lil2Hood. Die Antwoord’s image is based on a countercultural movement known as zef in South Africa.
The group gained international attention with their album $O$, which was initially released for free online, prior to its physical release by Interscope in 2010. The album was a huge success reaching #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, #4 on the Top/Dance Electronic Albums Chart, and #109 on the Billboard 200. From there, Die Antwoord has achieved considerable success, with many of their songs reaching the top 50, or even top 10 in many countries.
Die Antwoord has long courted controversy for well over a decade and has repeatedly been accused of cultural appropriation and sexual assault allegations. Yet, despite these allegations, Die Antwoord has remained relatively unscathed, continuing to release albums and schedule tours. It remains to see what impact these allegations will have on the band if any.
