Sara Spivey, executive editor

Who is big brother to 'Big Brother Africa 2'?

By: Sara Spivey

Posted: 11/5/07

Producers of reality television show "Big Brother Africa" are being accused of attempting to cover up an incident of sexual assault.

Viewers of the Oct. 27 show say they witnessed 24-year-old Richard Bezuidenhout strip the clothes off of two of his intoxicated housemates and proceed to use his fingers to penetrate the vagina of comatose 29-year-old Ofunneka Molokwu.

Under the Republic of South Africa Sexual Offenses Amendment Bill, such an act constitutes sexual violation.

According to The Namibian, an African newspaper, a third woman, also intoxicated, walked in and out of the room, attempting to stop Bezuidenhout and lead him out of the room. She was only able to distract him for a moment, during which he sat on the couch and "seemed to revel in sniffing his fingers."

When the women gained consciousness some time later, viewers say the show's participants were trying to piece together the afternoon because their memories had been blacked-out by alcohol.

No one from the show stepped in to stop the incident or attempt to help the women remember what had happened.

So who is this Big Brother, and why isn't he watching more closely?

Viewers, horrified at the incident, are accusing M-Net, the subscription-funded television network that airs "Big Brother Africa," of attempting to keep the incident quiet.

They say the network censored clips of the incident, removing threads discussing it from their Web site forum and not displaying SMS text messages (which are normally always shown) about the incident on the ticker that runs across the bottom of the screen.

A search for "sexual assault" on the Big Brother Africa Web site forum turned up zero results.

Would the situation be different if the woman had been unconscious and the man stabbed her with a knife? Would the network be able to get away with deleting the scenes and covering it up?

Who is going to hold this man responsible for what he has done?

According to a report by www.tonight.co.za, an entertainment guide based in Zimbabwe, Africa, M-Net claims the incident was consensual and "none of the housemates had complained."

Many viewers, however, feel differently and are angered that the network did not step in to stop the assault. The network did, however, send in paramedics when the two women began vomiting profusely as a result of the alcohol, and "ordered Bezuidenhout into the diary room to sober up," according to the Web-based entertainment guide.

The incident occurred Oct. 27, and major newspapers didn't start picking up on the story until Oct. 30, during which time they became inundated with messages from readers who want the television network, and the man, held responsible for their actions, or lack thereof.

When finally questioned about the incident, the man's response was, "Well, this is Africa."

His words, the words of a suspected rapist, are a glaring example of the problems that women in Africa face. The problem is larger than this one case. If a man's argument is "Well, this is Africa," then it becomes immediately obvious that attitudes about sex and rape in Africa need to be examined.

I know - we all knew that already.

The reality is that sexual violence happens every day to a lot of people. And if reality television is really depicting reality, in a show such as "Big Brother" where contestants are filmed 24 hours a day, eventually sexual assault is bound to be videotaped or shown live for all the world to see.

People are more likely to let their guard down and engage in potentially risky sexual behavior when they are under the influence of alcohol.

It's what producers of shows such as "Real World" and "Big Brother" are counting on for ratings. It's why they give their participants unlimited tabs at the nightclub and a well-stocked bar at home.

Women get drunk and put their trust in people they barely know, and when something like this Oct. 27 incident occurs, it should be criminal for the television network to not step in and stop it.

Sara Spivey is the Spartan Daily executive editor. "Off the Record" appears Mondays.