Community assault – the cost of rough justice

Abstract

South Africa is no stranger to violent crime with murder, rape and serious assault directly affecting around one in fifty people per annum.1 Approximately 21% of the South African population reside in KwaZulu-Natal province that has some of the country’s highest rates of poverty and violent crime.2 Law enforcement in such rural areas is challenging and as a result some 40% of households are dissatisfied by the levels of policing in their communities.3

Unpunished crimes and an inadequate justice system have led communities to resort to their own form of retribution.4, Severe beatings, termed Community Assault (CA), are administered by members of the local community when alleged criminals are caught. This practice intends to inflict serious injury rather than to kill, serve as punishment for the alleged perpetrator and a warning for potential offenders. This alternative to the conventional justice system has been used in 4-6% of all crimes committed in South Africa.3

We highlight the inhuman practices that occur as a result of the failing South African criminal justice system and further quantify the range of serious injuries that are sustained secondary to CA and reinforce the importance of early medical intervention.