SA Survivor Shares Harrowing Experience with Jeffrey Epstein's Modelling Scam in Cape Town

• A survivor, Juliette Bryant, recounted her introduction to Jeffrey Epstein under false modelling pretences in Cape Town
• Bryant believed she was being offered a legitimate modelling opportunity with travel costs covered
• Epstein's abusive behaviour allegedly revealed the dangerous reality Bryant faced during her modelling venture

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

South African survivor Juliette Bryant said she was approached in Cape Town in 2002 and introduced to Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell under the impression of a legitimate modelling opportunity.

Introduced to Jeffrey Epstein in Cape Town

Speaking to Xoli Mngambi on Newzroom Afrika, Bryant said a woman approached her at a restaurant in Cape Town and told her that a wealthy American businessman, described as the "king of America", was in the country with prominent figures, including former US President Bill Clinton, actor Kevin Spacey and businessman Leslie Wexner, the founder of Victoria's Secret. Bryant said she was studying psychology and philosophy at the University of Cape Town at the time and modelling part-time to earn income. She said the introduction appeared to be a significant career opportunity.

Read also

South African woman opens up about surviving Epstein Island

She was taken to a nearby restaurant where she briefly met members of the group. She said they later invited her to attend a speech by Clinton at the Western Cape Peninsula Technikon. At the time, she believed they were involved in charitable work in Africa. Bryant added that she later went to the Cape Grace Hotel, where Epstein was staying, after being told he wanted to see her modelling portfolio. She alleged that three women posing as modelling agents reviewed her book. She said Clinton briefly entered the room during the meeting.

Suitable for work with Victoria’s Secret

According to Bryant, she was told Epstein believed she would be suitable for work with Victoria's Secret and that travel arrangements would be covered, with costs deducted from future earnings. She said she travelled overseas within three weeks. Bryant noted that she was taken to an apartment after arriving abroad and later informed that they were travelling to the Caribbean. She assumed it was for a modelling assignment.

Read also

"We never saw anything": South Africa zeros in on Jeffreys Bay couple who worked on Epstein Island

She alleged that once the plane departed, Epstein became abusive and she realised she was in danger. Bryant described herself as a naïve 20-year-old at the time, travelling alone for the first time and without independent financial means or communication. Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was later convicted in the United States for her role in recruiting underage girls for Epstein.

South African woman opens up about surviving Epstein Island

In a previous article, Briefly News reported that a woman from Cape Town in the Western Cape revealed that she was allegedly one of the young women who were victimised at Jeffrey Epstein's island.

The United States government released over three million pages from the much-awaited Epstein Files, which detailed decades of sexual abuse.

Source: Briefly News