The Krugersdorp Samurai Sword Murder Book Launch at Exclusive Books Brooklyn
Reviewed By Barry Viljoen
In 2008, the quiet town on the west of Johannesburg was shocked to its core when a high school scholar took a Samurai sword to school and attacked four people. Only a little more than a decade later, the small town would be known to all because of the happenings in the “Devilsdorp” series.
The genre of true crime has been seeing a rapid increase in popularity internationally, with South Africa being no exception. In a country with a worryingly high crime rate, South Africa has a proverbial goldmine of such cases. Though few stories appear to grab both the attention and imagination of the public, as do cases where children are the perpetrators, Perhaps even more so when they don’t meet the mold that exists in our minds.
The author, Nicole Englebrecht, is perhaps better known for her True Crime South African podcast, with this being her first venture into publication. The book has had several launches already, with authors such as Janna Marx, the author of the Krugersdorp Cult Killings, and Sara-Jayne Makwala King, a radio host and author of Killing Karoline and Mad Love, serving as the conversation hosts. This particular book launch was hosted in discussion with Dr. Gerad Labuschagne, who previously headed the SAPS Investigative Psychology Section and is the author of The Profiler Diaries 1 and 2.
The discussion of this book, like the book itself, was always going to be interesting, though certainly not light afternoon banter. As such, the discussion was insightful and well thought out between both a professional and expert in the field and one who has done extensive research on the topic.
Exclusive Books manages to strike a balance between creating an intimate venue for discussion and one that feels professional enough for discussion of this type of subject matter. Especially since it is public knowledge and has been reported in the media that he was granted parole this year.
The aforesaid potential popularity of this book is easily seen when one enters their local bookshop, with numerous copies on display. One thing is certain: given the growth of the genre and the context of South Africa, I doubt this will be the last title on this subject matter we see.