Devil’s work: Criminologist discusses rise of South Africa’s occult gangs
A surge in occult-inspired gang violence is gripping South Africa, explains Dr Ashwill Ramon Phillips of the Department of Criminology at the University of the Free State.
Occult
702 and CapeTalk's Africa Melane is joined by Dr Ashwill Ramon Phillips of the Department of Criminology at the University of the Free State.
Listen below:
South Africa’s fascination with the occult and 'devil worship' piqued a few years ago, with the 2021 hit Showmax series Devilsdorp that exposed a string of Satanism-linked murders in Krugersdorp.
But beyond the headlines and gripped TV audiences, darker spiritual forces have been taking root in the country’s gang underworld.
In the Free State, groups are blending brutal violence with witchcraft and satanic rituals.
According to criminologist Dr Ashwill Ramon Phillips, it's fuelled by poverty, social exclusion, and a search for power.
Phillips says these types of gangs started to appear on the radar during the mid-90s.
ALSO READ: Devil worship, muti and murder: what’s behind the growth of occult gangs in South Africa?
"We traced their origin back to an evil church, or what we call a devil-worshipping group that practised in part of Northern Africa and later moved down to Maseru in Lesotho."
- Dr Ashwill Ramon Phillips, Department of Criminology - University of the Free State
From there, the groups crossed the border into the Free State.
Philips explains that, at some point, they merged their beliefs in withcraft and muti with more Western-type practices.
"[Things like] pseudo-Satanism and anti-Christianity."
- Dr Ashwill Ramon Phillips, Department of Criminology - University of the Free State
In the Free State alone, there are some 40 or so gangs involved in occult-related practices.
But Phillips says not all are devil-worshipping groups.
"You also have other groups that only practice and are involved in witchcraft."
- Dr Ashwill Ramon Phillips, Department of Criminology - University of the Free State
Phillips explains what sets these types of groups apart from the street gangs that many South Africans will be familiar with.
"Occult ideology is embedded within their belief system, so in other words, it's reflected in their symbols, their tattoos, their hierarchical structure."
- Dr Ashwill Ramon Phillips, Department of Criminology - University of the Free State
Want to know more about the occult gangs of the Free State? Scroll up to listen to the full conversation from Early Breakfast.