Karl Kemp’s Why We Kill: Mob Justice and the New Vigilantism in South Africa delves into the unsettling rise of vigilante justice in South Africa.

Drawing on extensive research and interviews, Kemp explores the roots, realities and consequences of South Africa’s current crisis.

‘I think this book says a lot about where we are as a country, why violence seems to infuse everything we encounter and read about. It’s definitely a broader take,’ Kemp says.

‘It seeks to comment on the nature of South Africa and what the future may hold given how prevalent lawlessness and the responses thereto have become.’

Following three recent cases of mob justice, from the hellish metropolitan townships of Gauteng to the far-flung bushveld of northern Limpopo, and drawing on extensive research and interviews, Why We Kill explores the roots, realities and consequences of South Africa’s current crisis of vigilantism.

Watch a video of the author introducing the book:

Categories Non-fiction South Africa South African Current Affairs

Tags Karl Kemp Penguin Random House SA Videos Why We Kill