Mob justice cases on the rise in Vosloorus

He said Vosloorus SAPS has previously warned the community about this tendency, but it appears this is not being taken seriously.

“However, the perpetrators will be dealt with harshly,” he said.

He asked Kathorus MAIL to assist by informing the community of this crime.

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What is mob justice?

Rossouw explained mob justice as a situation where a crowd of people, sometimes several hundred, take the law into their own hands, act as accusers, jury and judge and punish an alleged criminal on the spot. He said this procedure often ends up with the victim being beaten to death or seriously injured. He referred to it as a horrible way to die.

In recent years, citizens have grown more vocal about what seems to be a mode of justice that has prevailed for a long time. In many African countries this form of justice runs parallel with the legal systems and both undermine each other.

The power of the masses is not to be underestimated. In the apartheid era, mass protests brought down the authoritative regime. Public lynching, setting people alight and brutal beatings are the many ways mobs manifest their own form of justice. The “mob justice” refers to the course of action taken by a mass vigilante in response to crimes committed within their communities. The inequitable character of a mob’s action is that it takes place in the absence of a conventional or otherwise form of fair trial in which the accused are given the right to defend themselves. Instead, the accused is brutally punished and possibly sentenced to death within seconds of being identified.

Mob justice has been prevalent in societies all over the world. It is deep-rooted in human nature to react in collectives to perform group punishment when they feel wronged. However, with modern social constructs such as judicial systems, this mode of behaviour has become a barbaric solution to solving crime. It then calls to question why some societies, more than others, still have high cases of mobs taking the law into their own hands.

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Causes of mob justice

He said in most cases there is public distrust of formal institutions, such as the police and other forms of law enforcement, which are accused of corruption and improper handling of criminal investigations.

He also said many accuse the judicial process of being easily manipulated, adding criminals and perpetrators can be easily let off with just a slap on the wrist as long as they are able to bring forth a substantial bribe.

This leads to the public’s dissatisfaction of this system and has resulted in them taking the law into their own hands.

In most cases, alleged causes for mob action are for crimes such as theft, murder, rape, robbery, burglary, witchcraft and crimes against children.

How to deal with crimes by mobs?

Rossouw said there must be dialogue created within the country’s media in order to challenge people’s ideas and thoughts on mob behaviour. It is a crucial way of questioning the rash mode of action. These debates allow citizens to evaluate the inefficiency of mob justice within their streets.

What is the media and public’s attitude towards mob justice?

Rossouw emphasised that mob violence has been covered regularly in the country’s newspapers and it is no longer a surprise to read a story of a culprit being killed by a mob.

“The general view emitted by the media is a negative one of mob killings. They are generally depicted for their levels of barbarity, but what is still significant is civilian support for its role as a crime deterrent.

“While newspaper headlines read ‘Mob Justice – a Problem That Just Won’t Go Away’, the reaction from the public is quite a mixed one. Many still defend mob justice as an effective way of deterring criminals from committing the crime again and others who might be thinking about doing the same.

“To some extent a percentage of the public believes mob justice has a place in their society. But does mob justice actually reduce crime?” he asked.

Does mob justice work?

Rossouw said it is also wise to consider the fact that deaths caused by mob violence are also acts of crime.

“There is no clear evidence that mob action directly reduces crime. Statistics also show that with trends of decrease in crime and the police battling to tackle crime, all is undermined by a surge of mob violence working in the opposite direction of crime reduction.”

What are the problems of mob justice?

Rossouw added that a continuation of mob justice undermines a country’s constitutions and puts it at threat of falling into lawlessness, where people arbitrarily take the law into their own hands.

“This is particularly dangerous for civilians as it has already been identified that one of the sad results of a mob’s rush decision to punish a suspect sometimes results in misidentification. On several occasions innocent bystanders are accused by a crowd and cannot defend themselves before the crowd pounces on them. Most of these cases result in death or with a victim on the brink of death.

“This hostility created by a hot-tempered crowd has also contributed to death by traffic accidents. People involved in hit-and-runs fail to remain at the scene of the crime or report the case because they fear being beaten to death by an angry mob. Additionally, bystanders are more willing to pass a scene of an accident because of fear of being misidentified by the crowd.

“The irony is the actual term ‘mob justice’ because it serves no justice at all. The degree of violence inflicted by mobs spreads barbarity within communities, which then becomes guilty of condoning mass murder. It does not set a moral example for how society should handle its problems, it rather allows a hot-tempered few to spark crowds, create riots and chaos, deters organisation and brings down a community,” said Rossouw.

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Prevention of mob justice

“It is clear that a country and society that has proper functioning law enforcement does not feel the need to take the law into their own hands. Therefore, a key way to prevent the prevalence of mobs is for a state to consolidate its institutions. Once people gain more trust in their systems, they are less likely to undermine them with their own actions. When crimes take place, they will have faith that the judicial system will handle the matter. Fortunately, in South Africa, we do have proper functioning law enforcement and the trust between law enforcement and the public is still far from perfect, but hopeful.

“Another angle to tackle mob behaviour is through education. In order to change people’s attitudes they have to be educated and schooled into different ways of handling crime in societies. The public has to be literate in order to join debates and discussions on the problems of mob violence.

“Poverty is a key cause of crime in South Africa. For decades it has been the government’s agenda to eradicate poverty within South Africa; however, the problem still persists. A revision of strategies is needed in order to create a serious way forward. If something is not working, it needs to change. Poverty is a stream that breaks into all types of social problems, as is evident with mob justice. Stop the source and you will have eliminated all the other problems,” said Rossouw.

He said it’s also of crucial importance that community policing forums are involved to educate the community and play a more open role in solving mob justice.

* Information provided by Vosloorus SAPS communications officer Capt Piet Rossouw.

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