Abstract

BOPAPE, M; MAMASHEIA, T A; SELATOLE, M  and  MABUNDA, S A. Mob assault victim fatalities admitted at a forensic pathology laboratory in a South African rural province. SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. [online]. 2025, vol.115, n.11b, pp.113-121. ISSN 2078-5135.  https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2025.v115i11b.3880.

BACKGROUND. Community-based assault is a phenomenon carried out worldwide, which contributes to the rise in unnatural deaths due to violence. In South Africa (SA), this is often referred to as mob assault or vigilantism. There is a paucity of literature on the prevalence and epidemiology of this phenomenon in SA. OBJECTIVES. To profile fatal mob assault victim cases admitted at the Polokwane Forensic Pathology Services Laboratory, Limpopo Province. For this to be achieved, the study determined the demographic characteristics of the victims, examined the circumstances of the incidents and noted whether or not victims were hospitalised prior to death. METHOD. A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a sample of 141 community assault death victims that were selected using consecutive sampling of such victims admitted to Polokwane Forensic Pathology Services Laboratory over 5 years (2018 - 2022). RESULTS. The study revealed that black adult males residing in townships suffered fatal mob assault. All victims were black men, mostly South African, from the Polokwane subdistrict (75.9%), with a median age of 28 years, and only 33.3% were hospitalised before their death. Within the Polokwane subdistrict, the majority of cases (59.6%) were from the two largest townships (Seshego (31.9%) and Mankweng (27.7%)). A higher proportion of victims (39.7%) had lower levels of education and were mostly unemployed (76.6%). The main causes of death included multiple injuries, head injuries and severe soft-tissue injuries. CONCLUSION. This study highlighted the complex dynamics of community assault and its impact on public health. The high incidence of multiple injuries and elevated fatality rates prior to hospital admission can be primarily attributed to the violent conduct of communities and mobs. These groups often engage in aggressive confrontations that escalate quickly, leading to severe injuries and fatalities. Addressing community assaults requires a multifaceted approach, including community engagement, conflict resolution programmes and preventive measures aimed at reducing the occurrence of mob assaults.

Keywords : community assault; mob assault; interpersonal violence; South Africa.

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