Vigilante Justice in Modern South Africa: A Post-Democracy Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56778/rjslr.v2i3.372Keywords:
Mob justice, South Africa, Democracy, Extrajudicial punishment, Socio-economic factorsAbstract
Despite the establishment of democracy in South Africa, mob justice remains a pervasive and troubling issue. This study investigates the socio-economic and cultural factors that sustain this form of extrajudicial punishment, tracing its origins to historical injustices and contemporary dissatisfaction with the formal justice system. Through qualitative analysis of case studies and interviews, the research reveals that communities, often feeling neglected and insecure, resort to mob justice as a means of immediate retribution and deterrence. The findings highlight the urgent need for comprehensive reforms in law enforcement, community engagement, and social services to address the underlying causes of mob justice and restore confidence in the democratic legal framework. This paper advocates for a multi-faceted approach to eradicate this practice, emphasizing the importance of education, economic development, and robust legal protections to ensure justice and human rights for all citizens.
References
Bekele, A. S. (2022). Mob Justice in Ethiopia: Examining Its Implications on Human Rights in Amhara Regional State. Beijing Law Review, 13(03), 640–651. https://doi.org/10.4236/blr.2022.133041
Dwivedi, Y. K., Kshetri, N., Hughes, L., Slade, E. L., Jeyaraj, A., Kar, A. K., Baabdullah, A. M., Koohang, A., Raghavan, V., Ahuja, M., Albanna, H., Albashrawi, M. A., Al-Busaidi, A. S., Balakrishnan, J., Barlette, Y., Basu, S., Bose, I., Brooks, L., Buhalis, D., … Wright, R. (2023). Opinion Paper: “So what if ChatGPT wrote it?” Multidisciplinary perspectives on opportunities, challenges and implications of generative conversational AI for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 71, 102642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102642
Francis, D., & Webster, E. (2019a). Poverty and inequality in South Africa: Critical reflections. Development Southern Africa, 36(6), 788–802. https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2019.1666703
Francis, D., & Webster, E. (2019b). Poverty and inequality in South Africa: Critical reflections. Development Southern Africa, 36(6), 788–802. https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2019.1666703
Graham, C., & Pinto, S. (2021). The geography of desperation in America: Labor force participation, mobility, place, and well-being. Social Science & Medicine, 270, 113612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113612
Hock, E. S., Blank, L., Fairbrother, H., Clowes, M., Cuevas, D. C., Booth, A., Clair, A., & Goyder, E. (2024). Exploring the impact of housing insecurity on the health and wellbeing of children and young people in the United Kingdom: A qualitative systematic review. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 2453. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19735-9
Islam, M. J., Suzuki, M., & Mazumder, N. (2024). Promoting access to justice in Bangladesh: Towards a hybrid justice model. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 77, 100655. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2024.100655
Larrabee Sonderlund, A., Charifson, M., Ortiz, R., Khan, M., Schoenthaler, A., & Williams, N. J. (2022). A comprehensive framework for operationalizing structural racism in health research: The association between mass incarceration of Black people in the U.S. and adverse birth outcomes. SSM - Population Health, 19, 101225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101225
Mago, S. (2019). Urban Youth Unemployment in South Africa: Socio-Economic and Political Problems. Commonwealth Youth and Development, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/1996
Masipa, T. (2018). South Africa’s transition to democracy and democratic consolidation: A reflection on socio‐economic challenges. Journal of Public Affairs, 18(4), e1713. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1713
McKeever, M. (2024). Social stratification and inequality in South Africa. Sociology Compass, 18(2), e13173. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.13173
Medar, S., Keyes, C. A., & Stuart, S. J. (2021). Mob justice fatalities in South Africa: A forensic mortuary study. Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology, 17(4), 602–610. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-021-00415-8
Melkamu, M. T., & Teshome, W. (2023). Public trust in the police: Investigating the influence of police performance, procedural fairness, and police-community relations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(1), 2199559. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2199559
Mendis, K., Thayaparan, M., Kaluarachchi, Y., & Pathirage, C. (2023). Challenges Faced by Marginalized Communities in a Post-Disaster Context: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Sustainability, 15(14), 10754. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151410754
Michie, J., & Padayachee, V. (2019). South African business in the transition to democracy. International Review of Applied Economics, 33(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/02692171.2019.1524044
Randall, R., Kennedy, H., Karanikolas, P., Bashfield, L., Rayner, A., Nguyen, F., Wu, L., Martin, R., Thomas, S., Maylea, C., & Members of the Been Apprehended and Leadership Group. (2025). ‘ I was having an anxiety attack and they pepper sprayed me’: Police apprehension in mental health contexts in Australia. Policing and Society, 35(1), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2024.2372354
Sempijja, N., & Mongale, C. O. (2022). Xenophobia in urban spaces: Analyzing the drivers and social justice goals from the Ugandan-Asian debacle of 1972 and xenophobic attacks in South Africa (2008-2019). Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 4, 934344. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2022.934344
Singh, D. (2022). The Causes of Police Corruption and Working towards Prevention in Conflict-Stricken States. Laws, 11(5), 69. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws11050069
Sugiharti, L., Purwono, R., Esquivias, M. A., & Rohmawati, H. (2023). The Nexus between Crime Rates, Poverty, and Income Inequality: A Case Study of Indonesia. Economies, 11(2), 62. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies11020062
Yovita Yogaswari, S., & Megawati, W. (2023). Criminal Liability in Mob Attack Crimes Committed by Children Resulting in Death (A Case Study of Decision Number 22/Pid.Sus-Anak/2018/PN Smg). Law and Justice, 8(1), 70–80. https://doi.org/10.23917/laj.v8i1.2321
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 RADINKA JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>.



