However, behind her seemingly strong composure lies the story of a man who raped her and took her virginity before she had fully grasped the concept of intimacy.
Suellan was raped by South African tennis celebrity, Bob Hewitt, at the age of 11. While little girls were playing with Barbies, she was being forced to perform oral sex on a man older than her father.
The irony of her story is that she was thrilled when Hewitt approached her and offered to coach her. She felt special. She freely admits that she loved him, and at the time believed that he loved her. As a young girl, she thought of her relationship with Hewitt as a romantic one. Instead, she was the innocent victim of a paedophile who was an international sporting icon.
When Suellen approached her mother to tell her about being raped, her mother told her she was speaking rubbish. Legally speaking, according to Section 54 of the Sexual Offences Act, all adults have the responsibility to protect children against sexual abuse. If anyone even suspects that a child is being abused, they have a legal obligation to report that suspicion. If not, they could be sent to jail. We all have a responsibility to ensure our children’s safety and wellbeing, even if it is not our child.
Suellen has finally, after 30 years, been vindicated. Hewitt has been convicted of two counts of rape and one of sexual assault. However, the price has been high as she has lost decades of her life, and fond memories of tennis are now replaced by nightmares of sexual abuse. Suellan is still traumatised by ‘the smell of sex’ and is understandably repulsed by certain parts of the male anatomy.
Regardless of the final sentence which will be decided on the 17 April, the scars of his actions will always be tattooed on her psyche. For her, the road to redemption is not in escaping her past. She is using her past to inspire and protect others and create waves of change, because that is exactly what the people and children of this country need.
Garry Hertzberg is a practicing attorney at Dewey Hertzberg Levy attorneys and the host of The Laws of Life on cliffcentral.com
