“Voices from the shadows”: A social learning perspective on the role of informers in murder investigations in Krugersdorp

Abstract

This study examines the role of informers in murder investigations in Krugersdorp, South Africa, through the lens of Social Learning Theory (SLT). Using semi-structured interviews with 14 law enforcement officials, the study explores the values of informers, highlighting how detectives recruit, assess, and engage with informers. Findings reveal that informers, categorised as voluntary, hidden agenda, and paid informers, enhance investigative efficiency by providing insider intelligence but also pose ethical and reliability challenges, requiring trust-building and intelligence verification. The study concludes that detectives learn informer management through observation, collaboration, and crisis-based decision-making. Recommendations emphasise structured training, ethical oversight, and institutional safeguards to optimise informer use in murder investigations and law enforcement practices in Krugersdorp. By situating informer use within both theoretical and local investigative realities, the research contributes insights to criminological scholarship, bridging criminological practice with social theory and offering policy-relevant recommendations for training, ethical oversight, and institutional safeguards in resource-constrained environments.

Authors & affiliations

Clarice Ntombizakhe Ndoneni
Department of Police Practice, University of South Africa

James Ojochenemi David
Department of Police Practice, College of Law, University of South Africa

Sekgololo Angel Mabudusha
Department of Police Practice, School of Criminal Justice, University of South Africa.

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