WARNING SIGNS OP-ED: From Malmesbury to Umhlali, SA has now seen both faces of nihilistic violent extremism
Two cases this year show that nihilistic violent extremism is no longer a foreign phenomenon. The more recent incident in Umhlali carries the hallmark characteristics of nihilistic violent extremism, a threat which other countries are already addressing.
This article discusses two cases in South Africa that illustrate the presence of nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) in the country. The first case is in Malmesbury, where a 16-year-old was arrested and faces various charges, including sexual exploitation and making threats. The second case is in Umhlali, where a teenager attacked a six-year-old girl in a church-run school.
Both incidents exhibit characteristics of NVE, which is a threat that other countries are already addressing. The article notes that NVE is not a foreign phenomenon and argues that South Africa should have started a conversation about it earlier. The article highlights the absence of a coherent political goal in NVE cases and emphasizes that violence is staged for an online audience.
It also points out that the perpetrators are often still children. The article suggests that the South African system should pay more attention to warning signs, such as fixation on past attackers and talk of a target or plan. It criticizes the current approach of filing cases under existing headings, as this fails to capture the underlying extremist current.
The article also notes that Belgium has faced similar challenges in identifying and addressing NVE cases.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
