MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A 3000km walk along South Africa's coastline is no easy feat and one that not many would embark on, especially during the hot summer.
Beginning from Alexander Bay and heading for St Lucia, Daniel Weclaw (44) decided to take on the strenuous walk as a way of healing from childhood sexual abuse at the hands of his father, connecting with his father's other victims, and to raise awareness and funds for organisations such as the Teddy Bear Foundation, which support victims of child abuse.
He began his walk at the beginning of February, camping in various locations and meeting some of his father's victims, offering support and friendship.
Visiting Mossel Bay
Daniel made a pit stop in Mossel Bay on Tuesday afternoon and spent the night at the home of Clive Theys. Clive's son, who was in high school with Daniel, read about his journey on Facebook and asked his dad to offer Daniel a place of rest.
Daniel was welcomed by Clive Theys, a Mossel Bay resident who offered his home as a place of rest for Daniel.
Daniel told Mossel Bay Advertiser his father's abuse contributed to the hardships he and other victims had had, including depression and drug and alcohol addiction.
"It has had a long-lasting effect that we're still dealing with today," he said.
Shocking discovery
Daniel's father, Zbiegniew Andrzej Weclaw (65), a Camps Bay police station commander, faced charges of child pornography and indecent assault in 2020.
It was Daniel who made the shocking discovery of multiple boxes containing diaries and DVDs of child pornography material belonging to his father. He then reported his father to the police.
Weclaw was found dead inside his home in 2021. The cause of death is unclear. After his father's death, Daniel found even more evidence.
"We found diaries and more than 8 000 videos of child pornography he had manufactured himself and it was distributing," said Daniel in a video shared on his TikTok account. He then read out more than 50 names in the video, which had reached over 2 000 people and had over 100 comments.
Victims of his father then contacted him via social media.
Processing trauma
Daniel decided to put his story together in a book as a way of processing his trauma. The Brutal Truth Behind My Father was published in 2023 and details his childhood experiences of abuse, leading up to his harrowing discovery and the day his father's body was found.
"I remember him [my father] saying everyone had skeletons in the closet and this was his," shared Daniel in his book.
Daniel has become active in communities all over South Africa, assisting the police and families with child sexual abuse cases.
He left Mossel Bay early on Wednesday morning, continuing his walk. He is seeing his two-year-old son in Knysna, before resuming the journey.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
