Killing as a Resource: Gang Rivals in South Africa

Abstract

While killing is delegitimised by law, gangs who kill their rivals are legitimated within their social group. The central analytical argument is that the killing of gang rivals is a form of “capital” (Bourdieu 1986) that forges and produces enduring social networking relationships among gang groups. Killing is a celebrated practice within certain gang groups. The act of killing is also a rite of passage, which establishes a member within the gang group. Killing defines the “commanders” of gang groups and those who have the potential to lead a gang in the future. Killing is a source of identity and recognition. It produces certain kinds of statuses within the gang group. Those who kill the most are honoured in the gang group, while feared by the rivals. While this paper argues that killing sustains gang practices, it also examines the increased invisibility of gangs as victims of the same violence that they perpetrate.