Community justice or chaos? understanding vigilantism in South Africa
When communities resort to vigilante actions, they risk creating an environment of chaos and fear, which can perpetuate cycles of violence instead of fostering a sense of security and justice.
Professor Nirmala Gopal, a criminologist from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s College of Humanities went on to say that typically, communities turn to vigilantism to respond to their perceived lack of justice and safety, particularly when they feel that the established state institutions designed to protect their rights and welfare have failed them.
Gopal was reacting to news that five men were hacked to death by alleged vigilantes in Inanda on Friday.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the bodies were found at a sports ground near a school, and 12 people were arrested in connection with the murders.
He said they belong to a forum in the community. The suspects, aged between 22 and 70 years old, will appear in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
“Information at police’s disposal at this stage suggests that the victims, aged between 19 and 26 years old, were allegedly kidnapped from their homes in Bambayi. One victim had his arm chopped off,” Netshiunda said.
A source said the families of the deceased have identified the bodies.
Private security company Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) spokesperson, Prem Balram, said RUSA members interviewed several individuals at the scene who alleged that the deceased were known robbers and drug users who were terrorising the community.
He claimed that they were also allegedly responsible for raping multiple school girls.
Balram claimed that frustrated residents allegedly tracked down the males to the grounds and executed them.
Gopal said this phenomenon often arises from a deep-seated frustration and a growing distrust in law enforcement and judicial systems, mainly when these institutions appear unable or unwilling to address crime effectively or uphold the rule of law.
“It is indeed unfortunate that such drastic measures become necessary. When a community feels compelled to take matters into its own hands, it signifies a significant breakdown in the relationship between the community and the state.
“This erosion of trust can occur for various reasons, including systemic corruption, inefficiency, or a history of neglect in addressing local issues. Once this trust is damaged, it can be exceedingly difficult to restore, leading to a cycle of vigilantism that often exacerbates the underlying problems rather than resolving them,” Gopal said.
She added that one of my main criticisms of vigilantism is that it fundamentally undermines the principles of legitimate justice.
Gopal said that in a system where individuals take the law into their own hands, the rights of the accused are frequently overlooked.
“This can lead to unfair punishments that do not align with the legal framework to ensure justice is served. Additionally, without proper legal processes, those who are guilty may evade accountability, while innocent individuals can suffer wrongful repercussions,” Gopal said.
Consequently, this failure to deliver legitimate justice denies perpetrators accountability and eliminates any meaningful deterrent effect against potential offenders, Gopal added.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli said the incident sent shockwaves through the community.
Ntuli called for a thorough investigation and further appealed to the community of Inanda and surrounding areas to come forward with any information that could assist law enforcement.
“I urge members of community safety structures and the broader public to collaborate with the police. Let us work together to ensure that those who commit such horrific crimes are brought to justice. We must not shield criminals in our communities,” he added.
Ntuli expressed concern over the persistently high crime levels in Inanda, which has been identified as one of the province’s most crime-affected areas in the latest third-quarter crime statistics.
He emphasised that such violent incidents undermine the government’s efforts to create a safer and more secure environment for all citizens.
Ntuli reaffirmed the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government’s commitment to intensifying crime prevention strategies and strengthening partnerships between law enforcement agencies and communities.
Free Market Foundation head of Policy, Martin van Staden, said vigilantism is a perfectly understandable phenomenon in South Africa’s particularly violent context.
“Not only does South Africa rank among the most violent societies in the world, but unlike those societies our government treats violence as simply another one of many problems rather than an emergency requiring fundamental and swift reform.
“This indifference by the government over three decades to a serious but nonetheless easily solvable problem necessarily lends itself to spawning self-help by South African communities,” he said.
Van Staden said that the decentralisation of policing and decriminalisation of victimless offences are simple and effective things to do that politicians have no interest in touching.
“That communities resort to self-help must, therefore, not surprise us, and while we should never encourage vigilantism, we must be slow to morally condemn it,” he said.
zainul.dawood@inl.co.za