Academic

There are no bruises. There is no single incident a court can point to. And yet the damage is total — a mind dismantled, a bank account emptied, a family turned into a weapon. This is narcissistic abuse and coercive control: violence without a mark, waged in silence, and for too long, unanswerable in law.

Speaking Up is the book South Africa's legal system has been waiting for. Advocate Kotie Engelbrecht (Vercueil) — a High Court advocate and a survivor herself — takes the reader inside the psychology of the narcissist, the eight stages of psychological enslavement, and the cult-like dynamics of the narcissistic family, before doing what no one has done with this clarity: translating that lived horror into the statutes, case law and courtroom strategy that can actually hold abusers accountable.

Drawing on South African legislation, international precedent from the UK, Ireland, Australia and Canada, and a bold proposal for a new civil compensation framework, this is at once a legal manual for practitioners, a survival guide for victims, and an unflinching call to lawmakers to finally criminalise coercive control.

Woven throughout are the real voices of survivors — raw, unedited testimony that turns legal argument into undeniable human truth.

Speaking Up is a reckoning. It is a roadmap. And it is proof that the silence is finally breaking.

This book is both my testimony and my fight for justice — for all of us.

Written by a seasoned anaesthesiologist, the book navigates the complex territory where clinical decisions, patient safety, and moral judgement intersect. Through real-life case vignettes and accessible analysis, it reveals how everyday choices impact outcomes, the hidden pressures clinicians face, and the far-reaching significance of how we define and respond to error and death. Drawing on decades of clinical experience and medico-ethical scholarship, the narrative explores the unseen frameworks that underpin ethical perioperative care, encouraging clinicians to reason carefully, act conscientiously, and challenge established practices when necessary. While primarily aimed at South African anaesthesiologists, this resource is equally valuable to anyone seeking insight into the realities of medicine under pressure and the transformative power of ethical clarity. Ultimately, the book affirms Socrates’ timeless advice: to live by reason, follow conscience, and strive to do good.