Victims’ unspoken rules of mob justice

FOR a plethora of reasons, poorer communities are usually left to their own devices to make their residential areas crime-free, which is why some resort to mob justice to repel criminals.

That was one of the stand-out realities to emerge from a University of KwaZulu-Natal student’s research for her Masters in Social Sciences.

Kwanele Madondo, who graduated this week, titled her research work “A Cry for Justice: An Exploratory Analysis of Mob Justice in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal”.

Madondo said she related to her topic because she had been a victim of crime on various occasions and when mobs attacked the perpetrators, it was admittedly swift street justice in action.

“It was something I experienced nearly every week as a student based in Durban’s CBD.

“While using public transport, I became a victim of crime at various times, and my phone was snatched on a couple of occasions.

“Sad to say, but the thing that helped me was a mob of people banding together to intimidate the perpetrator. It was the street vendors who were the ones who came to my rescue on West Street (Dr Pixley KaSeme Street).”

She said it was an “unspoken rule” that when it happened the victim must shout “my phone…” to trigger a response from the quasi-justice operators to deal with so-called criminals who were not afforded the right of reply.

“My phone was stolen on two occasions, once from my pocket and another while I was a passenger in a car.

“Even when you travel in a taxi, they ask you to close windows because that’s how crooks snatch wigs.”

Frequenting the CBD was like running the gauntlet for her.

Her study revealed that one of the factors fuelling mob justice was the lack of social services in some communities, who were especially frustrated with the non-performance and absence of police in their neighbourhoods.

In her sample-set, G-Section in uMlazi, she noticed only two police stations in the whole of uMlazi with a population of about a million.

“Police response time was often an issue. Members from local community forums would have to fend off angry people baying for the blood of an apprehended suspect.”

She said in such situations people did not want the suspect arrested because the person was usually out the next day.

“That’s because they do not understand how the law and bail works. They believe when a person has been arrested, that person is guilty of the crime.”

She said the lack of understanding, police inefficiency, high crime rate, socio-economic conditions and suspects who disregarded certain moral principles stirred the ire of many.

Madondo said the mobs showed no sympathy when punishing repeat offenders.

“They see the person as sub-human and it all depends on the type of crime. For morally indefensible crimes, like murder, rape etc. they believe that castration is right.

“There is this whole paradox that happens with mob justice. It’s like a righteous anger in a sense.”

Having interviewed 200 G-Section residents, she found that many were living below the poverty line and couldn’t afford to have their possessions stolen. For crimes like theft, they preferred capital punishment.

About 55% of the participants were in support of mob justice.

Perhaps out of fear of being implicated, they said “no” when Madondo asked if they would join in.

They believed it was an instant response to acts of crime as opposed to the long wait for the wheels of justice to turn and the frustration when nothing happened.

While people were able to afford private security in some parts of uMlazi, for those who couldn’t, they sided with mob justice as their form of private security.

“The conclusion I was able to draw was that many people did not receive the hopes promised during the transition from apartheid to democracy.

“The lack of social services, infrastructure and even the spatial layout of uMlazi was not conducive to visible policing.

“The government has to do its job, root out police corruption, there needs to be more funding to train and equip CPF members, and communities must be educated on how the entire legal system works ‒ the people need to know that.”

Madondo said her goal for the near future was to attain a senior researcher’s position at an organisation like the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa.

Achieving her Masters was a proud moment because she had aspirations to land international research opportunities in the future.

“A Masters qualification was often the minimum requirement for certain think-tanks.

“My family is also pleased with my academic achievements.”