WATCH: Concerns grow over violent acts by boys in SA

A criminologist has warned that the gruesome killing and beheading of a 16-year-old girl, allegedly by a 17-year-old boy, is a troubling sign that extreme violence is manifesting at much younger ages than previously observed.

The boy was arrested and charged with the murder of the teenage girl, Hlologelo Malatji, whose naked and decapitated body was discovered in bushes in Pharare village, Limpopo, two weeks ago.

In a separate incident that happened in January, a 16-year-old boy allegedly struck Naledi Ramaisa, 8, from Senekal in the Free State on the head with a rock, placed her body in a 1,000-litre container, and then went to school and continued with his day as normal.

At the time Naledi was killed, she was allegedly standing in the street picking peaches from the boy’s yard.

The two teens arrested for the murders of Hlologelo and Naledi are their neighbours.

Prof Marelize Schoeman from the department of criminology and security science at Unisa said: “Although these incidents are deeply disturbing, they point to a much deeper, ongoing crisis in SA relating to gender-based violence and femicide.”

She cited recent research by the Human Sciences Research Council, which found that 51% of women in SA have experienced some form of gender-based violence, with 31% reporting exposure to violence before the age of 18.

“This tells us that violence has become normalised in many communities. What we are seeing now is not new violence, but the same patterns emerging earlier in life,” she said.

Schoeman added that many young offenders are exposed to violence at home and in their communities, shaping how they respond to conflict.

“When violence becomes normalised, it is often seen as a way to solve problems or assert control. In some environments, toxic masculinity reinforces the idea that boys must dominate to get what they want, and girls often become the victims.”

Schoeman also highlighted the lack of positive role models as a contributing factor.

“Research shows that many children grow up in households without strong, positive male figures. Without guidance on appropriate behaviour, young boys may seek identity through dominance and control.”

Hlologelo’s mother, Kgomotso Malatji, said the alleged killer is her daughter’s cousin and neighbour.

Malatji is married into the accused’s family and said the accused and Hlologelo grew up together.

On the day of the murder, she said, the two were together, but the boy later arrived at her house with injuries, saying people in a VW Polo had taken Hlologelo, but he had managed to escape.

“I asked him to come with me and show me where this had happened, and we started searching around the area.”

Malatji said as they were searching, she saw her daughter’s body lying in a pool of blood and screamed so much that people from nearby houses and a church rushed to where they were.

She said the boy had previously displayed violent tendencies at school, including a recent incident where he allegedly threw acid at a schoolgirl.

“Luckily, the girl ducked, and it only burnt her shirt,” Malatji said.

Schoeman said violence in schools is a growing concern, as it indicates that children are being socialised to resolve conflict through aggression.

In the Free State, Naledi’s aunt, Mmami Msibi, described the teenager accused of killing her niece as respectful and well-mannered.

But his acts, she said, were like those of someone possessed.

“I don’t know what drove him to do something so gruesome,” said Msibi.

Themba Dlamini, author of Village Boy: A Memoir of Fatherlessness, believes these incidents are the result of layered developmental gaps over time.

“We are seeing a collision of early exposure to violence, emotional underdevelopment, and the absence of consistent male guidance,” he said.

Dlamini added that many boys grow up without models of healthy masculinity while being influenced by environments that reward dominance and suppress vulnerability.

“Violence doesn’t begin with a weapon; it begins much earlier in how a boy is formed.

Boys are inheriting broken scripts of masculinity much earlier, and young girls are paying the price.

—  Themba Dlamini, author

“What used to manifest at 25 is now happening at 15. Boys are inheriting broken scripts of masculinity much earlier, and young girls are paying the price.”

Schoeman and Dlamini both agree that prevention requires a multi-layered approach, starting at home and extending to schools and communities.

Schoeman stressed the importance of early socialisation.

“Children must be taught respect, non-violent conflict resolution, and healthy ways to cope with stress from a young age.”

She added that schools must play a stronger role in shaping behaviour.

“If schools themselves are environments where bullying and violence occur, children will adopt those behaviours.”

Community-level interventions are equally critical.

“We need to change the environments in which children grow up,” she said.

“If violence is normalised in communities, it will continue to shape behaviour.”

Dlamini added: “Fathers and father figures must shape identity, not just provide. Schools must teach boys how to process emotions, not just pass exams.”