Former Springbok rugby captain Naas Botha and other SA sporting legends are to probe claims of sexual abuse made against tennis legend Bob Hewitt.
|||Former Springbok rugby captain Naas Botha and other South African sporting legends are to investigate claims of sexual abuse made against tennis legend Bob Hewitt.
If they find against him, he faces expulsion from the SA Sport and Arts Hall of Fame.
On Friday David King, chief executive of the hall of fame, said he had received correspondence from one of the alleged victims and had discussed the issue at length with Botha, a fellow board member.
Five women, who were all in their teens and being coached by Hewitt when the alleged abuse took place between the 1970s and 1990s, have appealed to the hall of fame and the International Tennis Hall of Fame to investigate.
Hewitt, who has the reputation as one of the best doubles players of all time, was inducted into both after a brilliant tennis career.
King said: “I was shocked and saddened to hear what he is accused of.
“It is shameful. We are definitely going to investigate.”
The SA Sports and Arts Hall of Fame honours greats such as Gary Player, Lucas Radebe and Brian Mitchell, whereas the International Tennis Hall of Fame boasts the likes of John McEnroe, Billy Jean King and Martina Navratilova. Andre Agassi was inducted this year.
The first woman to speak out was Heather Conner, 50, who lives in the US. She alleged that she had been coerced into sex with Hewitt near the tennis courts at Masconomet Regional High School in Topsfield when she had just turned 15. She said that with her daughters reaching their teen years, it was time to break the silence.
The Boston Globe launched an intensive investigation, finding nine women with similar allegations.
One of the women who has spoken out, Twiggy Tolken, 43, kept letters that Hewitt allegedly wrote to her when she was 12. Another, Amanda Wienhold, 33, described Hewitt as a manipulative predator who relished his power over young players.
Hewitt, who is now in his seventies and retired in Addo in the Eastern Cape, has remained below the radar. Despite efforts to contact him for comment, he has not responded to any of the allegations. -Independent on Saturday