Eish, That's Dark

Jessica Bawden and Lizanne De Lange

South Africa has stories. Strange ones. Dark ones. The kind where the facts are stranger than anything you'd make up. Every episode, one of us researches and narrates a tale of true crime, conspiracy, or mystery, while the other hears it for the very first time. Then next episode, we switch. No sugar-coating. No victim-blaming. Just the full story, told honestly, with the occasional South African "eish."

Episodes

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Ep 3: Spectres of the Cape Part 2 - The Flying Dutchman

    There is a ship off the coast of South Africa that has been seen for four hundred years. It never docks. Its sails are full of wind that isn't blowing. And almost everyone who has seen it first has met a terrible end. A future king of England saw it. Naval officers logged it. Warships swerved to avoid it. Ordinary people watched it from a beach on a calm Sunday afternoon. It shouldn't exist. But it keeps showing up. The real history behind the Flying Dutchman (the cursed captain, the deal with the Devil, the sightings that science still can't fully explain) is stranger than any version Hollywood has ever told you. Liz takes Jess through the full story. This one anchors itself to you. Good luck sailing away from it. Content warning: Death at sea

    53 min

  2. 27 APR

    Ep 2: Specters of the Cape Part 1 - The Castle

    The Castle of Good Hope has stood in the centre of Cape Town since 1679, but it has never been quiet. A governor cursed on the gallows and found dead of terror the same day. A woman's skeleton sealed into the walls for centuries. A bell tower bricked shut after a suicide that still rings on its own. Guards who didn't just transfer... they resigned. What was built as a beacon of hope, turned into a castle full of tragedy and mystery. Liz takes Jess through the full history of the Castle: who built it, who suffered in it, who died in it, and who, according to centuries of documented reports, never left. Fair warning: This one won't just give you the chills. It will follow you home, so maybe leave a light on. Content warning: slavery, suicide, torture, death by hanging. Listener discretion advised. Find us on @EishThatsDark on Instagram and TikTok. Stay safe and stay skeptical.

    1hr 2min

  3. 20 APR

    Ep 1: Black December - When the Natal Coast Ran Red

    In December 1957, the South Coast of Natal was full of families on holiday. Hotels packed. Beaches busy. The Indian Ocean warm and green. Then nine people were attacked by sharks. Six of them died. Jess takes Liz through Black December, the most catastrophic shark event in South African history. We cover the victims, the science of how sharks actually hunt (yes, they can feel your heartbeat), why the conditions that December were so catastrophically perfect, and the government response that involved depth charges, hand grenades, and a Navy destroyer making everything dramatically worse. We also talk about why the sharks were never really the enemy. Content note: graphic injury descriptions. Listener discretion advised. THE NINE: Robert Wherley, Allan Green, Vernon James Berry, Donald Webster, Julia Painting, the unnamed man at MaKakatana River, Derryck Garth Prinsloo, Nicholas Badenhorst and Fay Jones Bester. Their names deserved to be said. Find us @EishThatsDark on Instagram and TikTok. Stay safe and stay skeptical.

    1hr 9min
  • 3 Episodes

About

South Africa has stories. Strange ones. Dark ones. The kind where the facts are stranger than anything you'd make up. Every episode, one of us researches and narrates a tale of true crime, conspiracy, or mystery, while the other hears it for the very first time. Then next episode, we switch. No sugar-coating. No victim-blaming. Just the full story, told honestly, with the occasional South African "eish."

Information

  • Creator
    Jessica Bawden and Lizanne De Lange
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jessica Bawden and Lizanne De Lange
  • Show Website
    Eish, That's Dark