Here’s a sobering statistic for you to kick things off – in South Africa, at least two people a day die as a result of vigilante or group attacks.

In a new piece by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Lizette Lancaster has dug deeper into the violent scourge, which was once again brought to the fore with the news of Thoriso Themani’s murder.

Lancaster says that the high rate of vigilantism stems from the perception that neither the police nor government are effectively fighting crime, which is a perception shared by many.

Here’s more from that report:

In their analysis of the 2017/18 crime statistics, the South African Police Service (SAPS) associated at least 846 of the 20 336 murders with mob justice. The true figure is probably far higher because motives cannot be established in all murder cases, and the SAPS doesn’t formally quantify vigilante violence.

Protest research by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) shows that many largely peaceful crime-related protests as well as vigilante attacks take place in South Africa every year (see map). Incidents mapped as part of the ISS’ public violence monitor are by no means exhaustive as the mainstream media tend to report only the most serious cases…

Crime statistics suggest that many communities experience high levels of violence and crime. Public confidence in the criminal justice system is often low and people don’t trust the police to protect them. In fact, the latest Afrobarometer Survey for 2018 reveals that 66% of people mostly don’t trust the police and 46% don’t trust the courts.

Those who can’t afford security measures often feel neglected by the police and alone in protecting their families and homes. The crime survey also shows that 3.5% of households belong to self-help groups. These include self-defence classes or organised or semi-organised local groups.

When there is such mistrust in the system to both prevent and prosecute crime, it’s no wonder that people feel obliged to take the law into their own hands.

Young men are most at risk of being a victim of mob justice, and they’re also most likely to be perpetrators:

The cases that usually make it into the media are those in which suspects are killed. Death normally happens through beatings or stoning, but the most notorious method is apartheid-style ‘necklacing’, where a car tyre is placed around the suspect and set alight.

All types of mob or vigilante action run the risk of targeting innocent people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Despite their well-documented shortcomings, criminal justice systems in democracies are designed to be fair, with separate law enforcement and prosecutorial functions.

Importantly, the accused is allowed the opportunity to respond to the allegations and face the accusers in a safe environment. Most, if not all, of these principles fall away when an emotional crowd takes the law into their own hands.

The repercussions of mob justice are far more wide-reaching than simply those who are caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Law-abiding people become criminals, more likely to turn to violence down the line, and those who live in these communities often experience severe trauma.

To finish, the report offers a blueprint for what is needed going forward:

The country needs strong community leaders to condemn violence and take concerns of community members seriously. Children must be raised in supportive environments by parents who demonstrate other ways to resolve conflict besides violence. Social cohesion and tolerance of all people irrespective of nationality, sexual orientation and other qualities is needed.

But as long as South Africans feel the state cannot keep them safe, they are likely to seek their own justice, often with horrific repercussions.

Almost every South African can name a time they felt let down by law enforcement, and the news is filled with daily reminders of how ineffective this country is at holding criminals to account.

Sadly, one can’t help but feel that we will continue to see vigilante justice stats on the rise in years to come.

[source:issafrica]