A Durban principal had been under police investigation for paedophilia for many years, reports Paul Kirk
The KwaZulu-Natal press has been peppered with advertisements celebrating the death of a former principal and scoutmaster who has emerged as one of South Africa’s worst serial paedophiles.
Douglas Drysdale, who died last week, was principal of two of KwaZulu-Natal’s largest schools and the head of a leading Boy Scout group. He was never prosecuted, apparently because parents were wary of exposing their children to the trauma of a court case.
Glen Smith, a child protection unit detective inspector, confirmed this week that he was on Drysdale’s trail for many years. “I cannot deny that we have investigated Mr Drysdale before. We have had numerous, no, make that many, complaints, but the complainants have always withdrawn their statements. Mr Drysdale has never appeared in court, but I can confirm that for a very long time he was a very high priority for us.”
Those familiar with Drysdale’s exploits spoke out this week as classified advertisements welcomed Drysdale’s death. A recent one in Durban’s Daily News read: “Douglas Drysdale is dead. South Africa is a safer place.”
Drysdale was expelled from the Boy Scouts for allegedly molesting a boy, but was welcomed back into the movement before his death. He started his career at Brettonwood High, and was promoted to George Campbell Technical High School, a large institution in the centre of Durban.
According to the police, Drysdale’s world began to fall apart in 1998 when his fellow paedophile and scoutmaster Ken White committed suicide. Detectives from the Durban child protection unit were on the trail of White who, when he heard that one of his victims had talked to police, shot himself.
White had also been expelled from the scouting movement for molesting young children. When police searched White’s home they found piles of child pornography that the scoutmaster had made. They also found pictures of Drysdale, who introduced White to the Boy Scouts.
White, branded one of Durban’s worst child molesters by Smith, had hidden cameras throughout his home to tape children who visited him after scout meetings. A specially hidden one even filmed children as they used his bathroom. The videotapes were sold to other child molesters.
Soon after the suicide of his accomplice, Drysdale resigned from the Boy Scouts. Police say word soon got out that Drysdale may have been an “actor” in some of the child pornography White made. Police sources told the Mail & Guardian that ever since he resigned from the scouts Drysdale became increasingly paranoid and reclusive.
Chris Harley, a former scoutmaster and Lifeline counsellor, told the M&G his experience of Drysdale that occurred almost 20 years ago when he (Harley) was a scoutmaster of a group of sea scouts.
Harley told the M&G Drysdale, then assistant area commissioner of Boy Scouts in Natal, would often take his boys on sailing trips to Midmar dam. During one of these trips Drysdale allegedly sexually assaulted and raped a 12-year-old boy.
The boy’s parents contacted Harley, among others, who immediately informed the area commissioner of the Boy Scouts, Dudley Forde. Forde demanded that Drysdale resign from the scouting movement. Drysdale nevertheless managed to return to the scouts in 1989. When told Drysdale’s expulsion from scouting was only temporary Harley said: “I find this shocking and deplorable. I thought that when Dudley Forde had him resign that was the end of Drysdale.”
Today Forde is rector of Michaelhouse, a leading private school, and a member of the South African training team for the scouting movement.
Explaining how he allowed Drysdale back into the scouting movement Forde said: “The movement investigated the allegations against Mr Drysdale in 1980. After discussions with the parents of the boy concerned, action was taken by way of the withdrawal of his warrant to operate in the movement. No case was proven against Mr Drysdale, which is why neither the parents nor the movement chose to take any further action.”
The parents of the victim instituted criminal action against Drysdale, but then withdrew – apparently after considering the considerable trauma a court appearance would have inflicted on their child.
One of the victims gave the M&G an exclusive interview in the hope that more children who were molested by the scouting duo syndicate will realise they were not alone and seek psychological assistance.
Said the victim: “I was a member of the Fourth St Thomas Scout Movement from 1972 to 1976. I was only 12 years old when I started and the period contained many highlights. It, however, deteriorated when Ken White joined and together with Douglas Drysdale camps became a continual groping session and widespread paedophilia occurred.”
Contacted for comment, Mark Clayton, world director of communication for the scouting movement, said the South African scouting movement would now have to thoroughly investigate all the allegations made against Drysdale.
Police say Drysdale died of a heart attack. He was 48.