VOLUME 13 |ISSUE 3 |2022 19
Author Erika Bornman received the inaugural Info-
Cult/Info-Secte Dianne Casoni Award at the 2022 ICSA
Annual Conference for her memoir, Mission of Malice: My
Exodus from KwaSizabantu.
Erika Bornman was nine when her family joined and
later moved to KwaSizabantu, a Christian mission
in South Africa. Founded on egalitarian values and
touted as nirvana, something sinister lurked below the
mission’s pious veneer.
Life was hard at KwaSizabantu. Christianity was used
to justify harsh punishments, and congregants were
forced to repent for their sins. Threats of physical
violence ensured adherence to stringent rules. Parents
were pitted against children, friendships discouraged.
Isolated and alone, Erika lived in constant fear of eternal
damnation.
At 17, her grooming at the hands of a senior mission
counselor began. For the next five years, KwaSizabantu
waged emotional, psychological, and sexual warfare on
her until she managed to break free at 21. Escaping a
restrictive religious community was difficult, but after a
decade of ritual humiliation, brainwashing, and abuse,
rehabilitation into ‘normal’ life proved even more painful.
Unwilling to ignore her knowledge of the grievous
human-rights abuses being committed at
KwaSizabantu, Erika embarked on a quest to expose
the atrocities. With her help, News24 launched a seven-
month investigation, culminating in a podcast that in
2021 won the internationally renowned One World
Media Award for Podcast and Radio.
In Mission of Malice, Erika chronicled her transformation
from a fearful young girl to a fierce activist determined
to do whatever it takes to save future generations and
find personal redemption and self-acceptance.
In her own words:
“When I left KwaSizabantu back in 1993, there was very
little support available to survivors of cultic and coercive
groups. These were pre-Internet days, too, so I was on
my own and really struggled. Books saved me, however.
“Today, it is wonderful to have an entire community
who are creating resources—books and podcasts,
documentaries— to help people heal from what they’ve
experienced (and hopefully help stop others from
joining high-control churches and groups).
“Reading books that other survivors have written
helped me so much to realize that I’m not crazy, I’m not
evil, I’m not bad. This stuff has happened to others as
well. And I am so unbelievably grateful that I’ve been
able to publish my account of what happened to me
and, in so doing, hopefully help aid understanding and
healing in other people.
“Getting this award from an organization dedicated
to raising awareness and helping survivors of cults is a
singular honor.”
Erika Bornman has carved a career for herself in
magazine publishing as a writer and editor, despite her
lack of formal training. Mission of Malice is her first book
and an important element in her quest to make the
world safer for children. She lives in Cape Town, South
Africa, with her two cats. n
Info-Cult/Info-Secte 2022 Dianne Casoni Award
Presented to Erika Bornman
Author Erika Bornman received the inaugural Info-
Cult/Info-Secte Dianne Casoni Award at the 2022 ICSA
Annual Conference for her memoir, Mission of Malice: My
Exodus from KwaSizabantu.
Erika Bornman was nine when her family joined and
later moved to KwaSizabantu, a Christian mission
in South Africa. Founded on egalitarian values and
touted as nirvana, something sinister lurked below the
mission’s pious veneer.
Life was hard at KwaSizabantu. Christianity was used
to justify harsh punishments, and congregants were
forced to repent for their sins. Threats of physical
violence ensured adherence to stringent rules. Parents
were pitted against children, friendships discouraged.
Isolated and alone, Erika lived in constant fear of eternal
damnation.
At 17, her grooming at the hands of a senior mission
counselor began. For the next five years, KwaSizabantu
waged emotional, psychological, and sexual warfare on
her until she managed to break free at 21. Escaping a
restrictive religious community was difficult, but after a
decade of ritual humiliation, brainwashing, and abuse,
rehabilitation into ‘normal’ life proved even more painful.
Unwilling to ignore her knowledge of the grievous
human-rights abuses being committed at
KwaSizabantu, Erika embarked on a quest to expose
the atrocities. With her help, News24 launched a seven-
month investigation, culminating in a podcast that in
2021 won the internationally renowned One World
Media Award for Podcast and Radio.
In Mission of Malice, Erika chronicled her transformation
from a fearful young girl to a fierce activist determined
to do whatever it takes to save future generations and
find personal redemption and self-acceptance.
In her own words:
“When I left KwaSizabantu back in 1993, there was very
little support available to survivors of cultic and coercive
groups. These were pre-Internet days, too, so I was on
my own and really struggled. Books saved me, however.
“Today, it is wonderful to have an entire community
who are creating resources—books and podcasts,
documentaries— to help people heal from what they’ve
experienced (and hopefully help stop others from
joining high-control churches and groups).
“Reading books that other survivors have written
helped me so much to realize that I’m not crazy, I’m not
evil, I’m not bad. This stuff has happened to others as
well. And I am so unbelievably grateful that I’ve been
able to publish my account of what happened to me
and, in so doing, hopefully help aid understanding and
healing in other people.
“Getting this award from an organization dedicated
to raising awareness and helping survivors of cults is a
singular honor.”
Erika Bornman has carved a career for herself in
magazine publishing as a writer and editor, despite her
lack of formal training. Mission of Malice is her first book
and an important element in her quest to make the
world safer for children. She lives in Cape Town, South
Africa, with her two cats. n
Info-Cult/Info-Secte 2022 Dianne Casoni Award
Presented to Erika Bornman
