‘Look what the fucking dogs did to them, someone muttered. No one mentioned the rope, or the monkey-wrench, or the gun, or the knife, or the stick, or the whip, or the blood-stained boots. In fact, no one said much at all. It seemed simpler that way. There was no sense in pointing fingers.’
These Are Not Gentle People is a murder story, a courtroom drama, a profound exploration of collective guilt and individual justice, and a fast-paced literary thriller.
This is the story of the brutal beating and death of two young men and those accused of committing the crime.
Award-winning foreign correspondent and author Andrew Harding traces the impact of one moment of collective barbarism on a fragile community – exposing lies, cover-ups, political meddling and betrayals - and revealing the inner lives of those involved with extraordinary clarity.
Set in the small farming community of Parys in the Free State it is a true story of crime, punishment and redemption.
These Are Not Gentle People is a searing examination of a small town trying to cope with a trauma that threatens to tear it apart. When a whole community is on trial, who pays the price?
Justice Malala wrote of the book “This is In Cold Blood meets Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Andrew Harding has given us an instant classic.”
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 