Justice denied: political violence in Kwazulu‐Natal after 1994

To unravel post‐apartheid political violence in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa, three case studies are presented: the Shobashobane massacre (1995); the Richmond killings (which reached their height in 1997–98); and the Nongoma assassinations (1999–2000). Detailed consideration of the activities of paramilitary forces, the security forces, and the criminal justice system reveals that post‐apartheid political violence is systemically related to the dynamics of the ‘unofficial’ war between Inkatha and the African National Congress. In this context, it is argued that a failure to confront this war — in terms of asserting political authority or through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission — has worked to drive political violence and to push it into new forms, with lethal effect.