National Children’s Theatre Lights Path Against Trafficking for SA Youth

Wayne van Onselen, founder and executive director of Unchain Our Children (UOC), attended the launch of the National Children’s Theatre’s educational production Innocence Lost in Parktown, at the invitation of Sandra Madella from the Gauteng Department of Social Development. Directed by Phyllis Klotz and based on a true story, the play tours Gauteng schools from 7 to 18 September 2026.

The production targets teenagers aged 12 and older, teaching the realities and warning signs of human trafficking. Its impact is designed to extend beyond the audience, enabling young people to share knowledge with siblings, families and communities. The story draws from an encounter witnessed by NCT board secretary Moira Katz: a 14-year-old Rwandan orphan, promised safety and work by an uncle, who was instead trafficked into sexual slavery in Yeoville, Johannesburg. The dramatization traces both her ordeal and her eventual freedom.

Established in 1989 by Joyce Levinsohn from the Johannesburg Youth Theatre, the National Children’s Theatre educates and engages urban and rural youth across South Africa through live performance and after-school programmes. Its Johannesburg campus, with indoor, outdoor and puppet theatres, reaches more than 100 000 people annually.

This focus on awareness and education through the arts closely parallels UOC’s mission. Unchain Our Children (NPC: 2016/296796/08; NPO: 187-884; Section 18A; Level 1 B-BBEE; registered Child Protection Organization) combats human trafficking, child abuse and related human-rights violations through direct intervention, counselling, recovery of missing persons and prevention initiatives.

Both organizations prioritize equipping South Africa’s youth with knowledge and tools to recognize danger, seek help and build safer communities.

Tickets for Innocence Lost are available via the National Children’s Theatre website or its Quicket page. Report child exploitation, contact the UOC National Crisis Line on 067 323 7116.

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