Book of the Week: 'The Devil Made Me Do It: Understanding Occult Crime in South Africa' by Nicky Falkof

CapeTalk and 702's Mandy Wiener chats to author Nicky Falkof.

Listen below:

"We often see crimes or terrible acts of violence that are perpetrated, and instead of trying to understand them from an evidence-based perspective – because religion and spirituality and the supernatural are so deeply embedded in our society – we just go, oh yeah, yeah, no, it was the satanist, no, it was the devil, no, it was the this, that. And that doesn't give us any clearer understanding of how or why these things happened, which means we have no clearer understanding of how to make sure that they don't happen again." 

- Nicky Falkof, author 

In her new book, The Devil Made Me Do It: Understanding Occult Crime in South Africa, Falkof unpacks the widespread tendency to blame violent acts on supernatural forces rather than confronting the human and societal conditions behind them. 

Drawing on nine local case studies, she argues that sensational claims of satanic or occult involvement often mask more complex realities and allow deeper issues to go unaddressed.

Falkof says that while faith and belief systems are valid and deeply meaningful, especially in a country with South Africa’s history, the problem arises when these beliefs are used to explain away violent crimes. 

According to her research, there is far more evidence of human agency and trauma than any kind of supernatural influence in these cases.

The book challenges both the media and law enforcement for leaning too easily into occult narratives, which often gain traction due to mistrust in the justice system and feelings of powerlessness. 

Falkof warns that such framing not only misdirects accountability, but also prevents meaningful solutions. 

"It's not surprising people turn to myths and narratives when everywhere, everything that they see in their daily life makes it clear that there is no support, there is no justice."

- Nicky Falkof, author

Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.