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The Devil Made Me Do It: Understanding South Africa’s Occult-related Crime
South Africa can sometimes appear to be awash with occult crime. From satanist conspiracies and witchcraft accusations to muti murders and demonic possession, a trawl through our national news suggests a society at war with the forces of evil. Why does the occult have such a grasp on our collective imagination? In this vastly unequal country, with its crises of gender-based violence, child abuse, poverty and unemployment, there are more than enough obvious dangers to our social stability. Why, then, are South Africans so quick to blame the supernatural for violence and misfortune? How do beliefs in occult crime intersect with problems of gender, race and class? And is there any truth to these supernatural tales? The Devil Made Me Do It examines these and other thorny questions by probing the stories, beliefs and rumours behind the so-called occult crimes that have entranced South Africa’s fractured psyche. They include the murder of a child mistaken for a tokoloshe in the 1920s, the satanic panic that gripped the nation in the 1980s and 1990s, the Krugersdorp cult killings of 2012–16, and the muti murder of a six-year-old girl in 2022. What can these crimes, and the way they are represented by media, police and other institutions, tell us about South Africa today?
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 2, 2026
A good overview of occult crime in South Africa, each chapter dedicated to a specific case.
This book's core message is that all occult crime, especially in SA, is systemic - colonial laws which persist today, Apartheid demonisation (no pun intended) of African religions and the supposed need for the ORCU (Occult-Related Crimes Unit) in the SAPS. Combine this with vast inequality, poverty and religious instruction and you've got a toxic mix of violent crimes excused or committed in pursuit of prosperity.
White violent crimes often use Satanism as a scapegoat, usually to plead mental illness, whereas black or African violent crimes that use the same lens via witchcraft are deemed barbaric and as an indicator of a belief system that doesn't resonate with the modern, civil world. Of course, the crimes in both instances are totally unacceptable, but viewed and punished differently because of these lenses.
Three stars because I didn't really learn anything new except for that the ORCU was rebranded as the HOPS (Harmful Occult-related Practises Section) in 2000 after the Satanic Panic of the 90s and a division that employed pastors (?) in investigations actually led investigations astray.
I would've liked for the book to propose solutions, instead of a general call for police, journalists and civil servants to "be better".
This book's core message is that all occult crime, especially in SA, is systemic - colonial laws which persist today, Apartheid demonisation (no pun intended) of African religions and the supposed need for the ORCU (Occult-Related Crimes Unit) in the SAPS. Combine this with vast inequality, poverty and religious instruction and you've got a toxic mix of violent crimes excused or committed in pursuit of prosperity.
White violent crimes often use Satanism as a scapegoat, usually to plead mental illness, whereas black or African violent crimes that use the same lens via witchcraft are deemed barbaric and as an indicator of a belief system that doesn't resonate with the modern, civil world. Of course, the crimes in both instances are totally unacceptable, but viewed and punished differently because of these lenses.
Three stars because I didn't really learn anything new except for that the ORCU was rebranded as the HOPS (Harmful Occult-related Practises Section) in 2000 after the Satanic Panic of the 90s and a division that employed pastors (?) in investigations actually led investigations astray.
I would've liked for the book to propose solutions, instead of a general call for police, journalists and civil servants to "be better".
Displaying 1 of 1 review