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Homicide-Suicide in Durban, South Africa
Kerry Roberts1,
Douglas Wassenaar2*,
Silvia Sara Canetto3,
and
Anthony Pillay2
1 Private Practice, South Africa
2 University of KwaZulu-Natal
3 Colorado State University
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: wassenaar{at}ukzn.ac.za.
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Abstract |
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This study investigated homicide-suicide in Durban, South Africa, for the years 2000 to 2001. The incidence was 0.89 per 100,000, higher than the international average. A majority of perpetrators (91%) and victims (87%) were Black African, proportional to their representation in the population. Perpetrators were typically men (in 95% of cases), older than, and intimate partners (in 75% of cases) of the female victims (in 100% of cases). Average ages of perpetrators and victims were 32 and 27, respectively. The security sector was overrepresented as an employment category for perpetrators. A firearm was used in 87% of the homicides and 80% of the suicides. The individuals involved in homicide-suicides in Durban are similar to homicide-suicide perpetrators and victims in industrialized countries. The fact that homicide-suicides in South Africa, as in most countries, involve almost exclusively men killing female intimates confirms the importance of examining and challenging social norms enabling male violence against women.
First published on July 17, 2009
Journal of Interpersonal Violence 2009, doi:10.1177/0886260509336964
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