South African teenager who planted a bomb in a large mall was released and then stabbed a 6-year-old girl

Failures in South Africa’s law enforcement and child protection systems had devastating consequences last week when a troubled 16-year-old boy stabbed a six-year-old girl.

The male’s identity is known to Newsday but cannot be disclosed due to protections for minor suspects in the Criminal Procedure Act.

He was arrested on 13 October 2026 after gaining entry to his old primary school in Umhlali, Ballito on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, and repeatedly stabbing a 6-year-old girl.

Rocky Schaper, a VIP protection specialist, was working out in a gym nearby and was the first responder on scene after his wife alerted him to a commotion at the school, the SABC reported.

He said he saw three stab wounds, two on her back and a severe wound under her armpit, to which he applied pressure until paramedics arrived. The victim was last reported critical but stable in hospital.

The suspect was armed with a knife and a homemade gun, and wore a “Wrath” T-shirt to mimic one of the shooters of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.

He had been released from custody after allegedly planting an improvised bomb in the food court of Ballito Junction Regional Mall and was on probation.

According to reports, the improvised gun with which he entered The Creative Classroom failed to discharge. Had the weapon worked, it is likely several children would be dead.

Newsday spoke to an acquaintance and former friend of the suspect, Max (not their real name),  who has known him since 2023 and was in several of the same online communities as him.

Max confirmed reports that the suspect identified with True Crime Community (TCC), an online fandom and subculture which fetishises serial killers and mass murderers.

TCC has been linked to nihilistic violent extremism and hybristophilia, which is the sexual interest in and attraction to those who commit crimes.

Nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) is a term used by law enforcement agencies to describe a new wave of extremism and violence lacking an ideological motivation.

Another prominent case involving NVE in South Africa was reported in August when a 16-year-old was arrested in Malmesbury for possession and facilitation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Several experts consider TCC and 764 as part of a larger global phenomenon called the Com, or “the Community”.

The Com is a transnational online ecosystem of decentralised digital groups and sub-networks whose members engage in cybercrimes, physical violence, sextortion, and the exploitation of minors.

Suspect struggled to find his place in the world

Max explained that in the time they knew the suspect, he had experimented with several identities, including being gay, transgender, and a white supremacist.

Therefore, although the suspect posted photos of himself posing in front of the old South African flag, this may not have reflected his actual beliefs.

While he found some community in TCC and the larger Com group, the suspect was also relentlessly bullied online for being “cringe”.

Max said TCC members were typically 12 to 23 and would support racism, suicide, and killing children, although most were “LARPing”—live-action roleplaying—for attention.

The danger was when vulnerable individuals were drawn in and groomed by predators to do more than be edgy online.

“Some are just trying to be edgy, but there are a few really trying to cause harm,” Max said.

However, there may often not even be a predator in the mix. It could also be peers mutually pressuring each other into ever more extreme behaviour.

All the warning signs ignored

Max said that several of the people who knew the suspect had tried to alert his mother as far back as 2024 that her son was acting out in disturbing ways.

“We told her she needs to get him off the Internet, or something bad was going to happen.”

He said they knew the suspect had been placed in mental facilities several times because he would video call them from his room in the hospital.

They never thought the suspect would actually harm others, though. Max said they were initially more worried that he would hurt himself.

However, that all changed after the attempted bombing at Ballito Junction. All the warning signs were there that the suspect’s disturbing behaviour was escalating in an attempt to get attention.

A manifesto he circulated on Telegram ahead of the bombing indicated that the suspect was blaming external factors for his behaviour, including parental abuse and being rejected by a girl.

“Maybe in the next life I could be with her. This is the end of my manifesto. Now my revenge will come. I’ll be someone, I’ll be a god,” it stated.

“At least I did something in life to be remembered in a manner I want. This is the end that was supposed to happen long ago. It’s finally over”.

Max said the object of the suspect’s affections was also in TCC and idolised the Columbine shooters. She and the suspect were boyfriend and girlfriend for a while, but broke up.

Max also said that, to the best of their knowledge, the suspect was not abused at home, despite his manifesto claiming that he was.

South Africa is a nation of fools

Following the attempted bombing, a further escalation occurred in the suspect’s disturbing behaviour when he bragged about extorting a teenage girl he said was a paedophile.

Max said they tried to alert the suspect’s mother about this in September, but to no apparent effect. They also tried to open a police case, but were told the victim had to do it.

Forensic psychologist Gérard Labuschagne said all the warning signs were there that this young man was disturbed and would eventually hurt someone, but were ignored.

“I take no pleasure in being right in such cases. Earlier this year a 15-year-old boy placed an IED in a mall that fortunately did not detonate properly,” said Labuschagne.

“He had a manifesto. It mimicked what we often see in the manifesto of other young people who commit mass attacks.”

In a July interview with the North Coast Courier following the botched bombing, Labuschagne said, “Anyone who doesn’t take this seriously is a fool.”

He expressed dismay that his warning was not heeded. He said the suspect was not kept in custody, and that there was no threat assessment or safety plan.

“We failed the offender and this little girl. Despite the tragedy, we will sadly learn nothing from it in South Africa. We complain, we forget, and we move on. We are a nation of fools.”

Newsday contacted the suspect’s mother for details about his probation and release following the attempted bombing, as well as the alleged school attack. She declined to comment.