Policing Reform in the Context of Plural Policing: The South African Case

Abstract Using South African examples, this article explores how legitimacy is constituted amongst state and non-state actors in a highly pluralized context of limited statehood and the implications that this has for policing reform. In particular, it explores the means by which the legitimacy of the state and non-state is relational, co-produced, and co-dependent by focusing on two components of legitimacy: effectiveness and accountability. Given the contextual realities of policing legitimation in pluralized contexts, the article provides a critical appraisal of the challenges for policing reform.