On the Devil's Trail: How I hunted down the Krugersdorp Killers by Ben Bliksem Booysen , Nicky Gules
On the Devil's Trail: How I hunted down the Krugersdorp Killers by Ben Bliksem Booysen , Nicky Gules
Publisher Melinda Ferguson Books, 2020
ISBN 1990973485, 9781990973482
Length 214 pages
Condition: Very Good.The wraps have some very, very slight signs of wear and the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains perfect. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far.
If you are not familiar with the Krugersdorp Killers' case, there is plenty of information available out there if you want to catch up. I would highly recommend the "True Crime South Africa" podcast and Showmax's "Devilsdorp" docuseries. Nicole Engelbrecht from "True Crime South Africa" also did the "Devilsdorp: The Companion Podcast" as extension of the TV series. So, as you can gather, this is a case that grabbed and demanded a lot of public attention and caused a media frenzy. We always hear of these things happening in other countries, but in South Africa? What is this all about? And, if you mention the word "satanists" everyone shivers in their boots to boot.
Whilst watching "Devilsdorp", Captain Ben "Bliksem" Booysen immediately stood out as quite an character. Within the first couple of minutes, I recall telling my husband "This guy deserves a show of his own!". It is obvious that he doesn't take nonsense from anyone (or what I gathered from the book is Ben's favourite word, he doesn't take "bullshit" from anyone), that he is there to get a job done, doesn't have any patience with red tape, and that he probably made some enemies along the way. So yes, I was keen to get my hands on this book to hear more of his side of the story.
Together with Nicki Gules, renowned news editor and investigative journalist, this autobiography came to be. The first half of the book is mainly about Ben's childhood, background and history in the South African Police Force. That is itself is a love-hate relationship, as he resigned four times during his career and very time he returned/was reinstated. So why would he return every time? Because he believed that this is a calling and that he could make a difference. He started this book saying that this is just an ordinary story, and that he doesn't always get why this is the only case people really want to know and talk about. How astounding.
The second half of the book focuses more on the Krugersdorp Killers' case - how he was assigned the case only after the last murder, and the fact that some of the suspects have been identified as "persons of interest" years previously. By taking on this case, Captain Booysen's health and personal safety were severely impacted as well. By being persistent and following the leads where he could, it all started to unravel for the 6 key players in the Krugersdorp 'cult' - and currently all are behind bars, serving the time they deserve.
I wasn't too shocked to read that Capt Booysen didn't really get a lot of recognition and praise from SAPS for breaking this huge case. It is no secret that there are always internal (and external) politics at play at all state institutions. And that may be the reason for writing this book, just to be able to proudly say that "I did it, and I did it well".
Thank you to NB Publishers and Melinda Ferguson books for this copy, in exchange for a honest review.
