For residents of Plot 52 in the Zandspruit informal settlement and South Africa at large, the morning of May 19 2021 will not be soon forgotten. Right in front of children and community members, old and young, community members decided…
This report focuses on vigilantism, on the practice of 'necklacing' as a form of punishment, and on police violence in South Africa post-apartheid. The report engages with a series of questions about how popular forms of justice are imagined and…
Over the past months newspapers have frequently featured stories and disturbing front-page photos of violent vigilante attacks. The ongoing coverage of these acts has lent the impression that we are experiencing in South Africa a sudden increase in 'mob justice';…
The Violence and Transition Series is a product of an extensive research project conducted by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) into the nature and extent of violence during South Africa's transition from apartheid rule to…
The Violence and Transition Series is a product of an extensive research project conducted by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) into the nature and extent of violence during South Africa's transition from apartheid rule to…
This paper examines police attitudes to vigilante activities engaged in by other groups. Amongst the many questions asked, the paper looks to investigate the extent the police themselves continue to be involved in vigilantism in South Africa.