The Criminological Roles and Effects on Peace, Safety and Security in South Africa
Mphatheni Mandlenkosi Richard 
& Sphamandla Lindani Nkosi
Issue: Vol.5 No.16 Issue Article 16 pp.2876-2888
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451616 | Published online 18th December, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Even though criminology is gaining ground as a discipline, it still needs to be determined whether it is an independent or settled disciplinary state. Despite the proliferation of criminological journals, monograph series, departments, and degree programmes, it is believed that criminology, as a post-crime society’s intellectual progeny, has adapted to address the difficulties of pre-crime peace, safety, and security in the African continent. This article looks at the essential roles and effects of criminology in modern society as a tool to guarantee peace, safety, and security on this continent. This study followed a systematic review method with the aid of exploratory design to understand the relevance of criminology in promoting safety and security in Africa. The article also researched the current position of criminology in various parts of the African continent by applying literature reviews. The findings suggest that criminology should be continuously subjected to review and transitions as it lacks identity and mission regarding safety and security in Africa.
Keywords: Africa, Criminology, Diversity, Peace, Safety, Security.
Africa Check. “Some Crime Decreased in South Africa ‘Year after Year’ during Jacob Zuma’s Presidency, but Violent Crime Increased,” 2021. https://africacheck.org/fact-checks/fbchecks/some-crime-decreased-south-africa-year-after-year-during-jacob-zumas.
Alemika, Etannibi E O. “Reflections on Criminology in Africa.” Acta Criminologica: African Journal of Criminology & Victimology. Criminological and Victimological Society of Southern Africa (CRIMSA), 2020.
Authority, South African Qualifications. “National Qualifications Framework Act No. 67 of 2008.” Government Gazette 524, no. 31909 (2009): 17.
BCC News. “Why I Cannot Tell ’the African Story,” 2015. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34508552.
Bezuidenhout, Christiaan, and Anthony Minnaar. “To Professionalise or Not?” Acta Criminologica: African Journal of Criminology & Victimology 2010, no. sed-1 (2010): 1–17.
Bosworth, M., and C. Hoyle. What Is Criminology? Oxford University Press, 2012.
Carvalho, Gustavo De, Onnie Kok, and Ann Livingstone. “Strengthening Policing in African Peace Operations: The Role of the Training for Peace Programme.” Conflict Trends 2015, no. 2 (2015): 34–41.
CRIMSA. “ Constitution of the Criminological Society of Africa (CRIMSA),” 2021. https://crimsa.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/CRIMSA-Constitution-Ammended-February-2021.pdf.
Dixon, Bill. “Understanding’Poinry Face’: What Is Criminology For?” South African Crime Quarterly 41 (2012): 3–10.
Human, Mary N. A. “The Role of Criminologists as Specialised Practitioners in the Child Justice System.” University of South Africa, 2018.
Igbinovia, Patrick Edobor. “Criminology in Africa.” International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. Sage Publications Sage CA: Thousand Oaks, CA, 1989.
Maliki, Ahmadu S. “The History Of Sociology Of Law And Criminology In Nigeria,” 2014.
Morgan, Rod, Mike Maguire, and Robert Reiner. The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. Oxford University Press (UK), 2012.
Mphatheni, Mandlenkosi Richard, Sphamandla Lindani Nkosi, Owethu Johnson Tutu, and Nirmala Gopal. “An Analysis of Criminology as a Profession in the Republic of South Africa.” International Journal of Criminology and Sociology 9 (2020): 1822–28.
Mushanga, T. M. Criminology in Africa. Nairobi: Law Africa Publishing Ltd, 2004.
Muslimin, Joko Mirwan. “Islamic Law and Social Change: A Comparative Study of the Institutionalization and Codification of Islamic Family Law in the Nation-States Egypt and Indonesia (1950-1995).” Staats-und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg Carl von Ossietzky, 2005.
Osawe, Anthony I, and Magnus O Ojeifo. “Unregulated Urbanization and Challenge of Environmental Security in Africa.” World Journal of Innovative Research (WJIR) 6, no. 4 (2019): 1.
Schünemann, Julia, Jakkie Cilliers, Zachary Donnenfeld, Ciara Aucoin, and Alex Porter. “African Futures-Key Trends to 2035.” Zachary and Aucoin, Ciara and Porter, Alexander, African Futures-Key Trends To 2035 (2017).
Scorgie, Fiona, Deborah Baron, Jonathan Stadler, Emilie Venables, Heena Brahmbhatt, Kristin Mmari, and Sinead Delany-Moretlwe. “From Fear to Resilience: Adolescents’ Experiences of Violence in Inner-City Johannesburg, South Africa.” BMC Public Health 17 (2017): 51–64.
Singh, Shanta Balgobind. “Criminology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal: Late 20th Century to Early 21st Century.” Acta Criminologica: African Journal of Criminology & Victimology 33, no. 2 (2020): 34–59.
Singh, Shanta, and Nirmala Gopal. “Criminology in the 21st Century:” Through the Eyes” of Academics.” Acta Criminologica: African Journal of Criminology & Victimology 2010, no. sed-2 (2010): 11–24.
Tyng, Chai M., Hafeez U. Amin, Mohamad N. M. Saad, and Aamir S. Malik. “The Influences of Emotion on Learning and Memory.” Frontiers in Psychology 8 (August 24, 2017). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01454.
Williams, Paul D. “Continuity and Change in War and Conflict in Africa.” Prism 6, no. 4 (2017): 32–45.
Winterdyk, John. “Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice within the African Continent.” Strathmore LJ 6 (2022): 47.
Wolfgang, Marvin E. “Criminology and the Criminologist.” J. Crim. L. Criminology & Police Sci. 54 (1963): 155.
Worldometer. “ Africa Population (LIVE).” Accessed October 30, 2021. https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/africa-population/.
Zyl Smit, Dirk Van. “Adopting and Adapting Criminological Ideas: Criminology and Afrikaner Nationalism in South Africa.” Contemp. Crises 13 (1989): 227.
Mandlenkosi Richard Mphatheni holds a Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Criminology and Master of Social Science in Criminology. He is currently a Lecturer at the University of Limpopo, teaching first-year and third-year classes. Previously, he has worked as a lecturer teaching honours level and third-year classes for a short period in the following universities: Walter Sisulu University, University of KwaZulu-Natal and Zululand University. He is a member of the World Society of Victimology and has presented orally at the symposium of WSV held in Donostia-San Sebastian City in Spain. His research interests and publications are on Cybercrime, Sexual offences, criminology as a profession and Gender-based violence.
Sphamandla Lindani Nkosi – Faculty of Humanities, Lyceum College, Republic of South Africa.
Mphatheni, Mandlenkosi Richard & Sphamandla Lindani Nkosi. “The Criminological Roles and Effects on Peace, Safety and Security in South Africa,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.16 (2024):2876-2888. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451616
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
