Abstract: Submission #139

Abstract Youth gang involvement remains a pervasive social challenge, particularly within marginalised communities affected by poverty, exclusion, substance abuse and restricted access to legitimate employment. As a result, gang-related crime and violence across South Africa is rife, impacting individuals, families and the broader community. With reference to the Free State province, gang practices intersect with the occult and include practices related to devil-worship, witchcraft and the use of traditional African medicine to further the commission of criminal activities. Youth street gangs in the region engage in various acts ranging from spiritually-motivated crimes to blood sacrifice, animal slaughter and demonic manifestation. Despite the surge in gang activity and the gratuitous violence used by these groups, a dearth of research exists pertaining to their modus operandi, origin and gang ideology. Accordingly, the current study draws from interviews conducted with gang members, non-gang-affiliated offenders and service professionals to explore the factors motivating membership, the protective factors which act a safeguard and their associated occult involvement. Key findings highlight the pursuit of power, protection, poverty and peer affiliation as pertinent risks, while the creation of accessible prosocial recreational opportunities, employment and gang awareness were noted as key protective factors. Understanding risk exposure, gang trajectories and factors that enhance resilience from the lived experience of offenders, serve to humanise the gang issue and assist social workers and other stakeholders in strengthening support services for vulnerable youths, develop targeted interventions, refine policies and systemic responses, and incorporate relevant protective factors when designing or facilitating programmes within gang-prone communities.