Book Review

From nurse to notoriety: Contextualising Daisy de Melker as a killer among many in Botha’s biography

Book title: Daisy de Melker: Hiding among killers in the City of Gold

Author: Ted Botha

ISBN: 9781776192779

Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers, 40 Heerengracht St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 2023, R320.00*

*Book price at time of review

Review title: From nurse to notoriety: Contextualising Daisy de Melker as a killer among many in Botha’s biography

Reviewer:
Christel Kirsten¹

Affiliation:
¹Department of Military History, Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

Corresponding author: Christel Kirsten, christelkirstentab@gmail.com

How to cite this book review: Kirsten, C. “From nurse to notoriety: Contextualising Daisy de Melker as a killer among many in Botha’s biography” New Contree 93(0) (2026): a924. https://doi.org/10.4102/nc.v93i0.924

Copyright Notice: © 2026. The Author. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Introduction

Daisy de Melker remains one of South Africa’s most notorious criminal figures, a nurse whose early 20th century poisoning cases shocked the Union of South Africa not only because of the brutality of her crimes, but also because of the apparent normality she maintained in everyday life. De Melker became a criminal figure embedded within society, someone who moved unnoticed through domestic and medical spaces while allegedly committing carefully planned poisonings. In Daisy de Melker: Hiding Among Killers in the City of Gold, journalist and author Ted Botha reinterprets this sensational story with a biography that blends true crime with social history. He positions De Melker within the rapidly changing landscape of the City of Gold during the 1920s and 1930s as he highlights how class tensions, migration and medical authority shaped both her actions and the media’s response to them.

Discussion

The phrase ‘hiding among killers’ as Botha’s title suggests becomes very distinctive and highly suggestive as it instantly destabilises the reader’s expectations: rather than solely presenting De Melker as an isolated anomaly, the author positions her within a wider ecosystem of criminals. Hence, the title implies that Daisy was not merely a singular criminal, but also a part of the wider culture of moral ambiguity and violence. On page 296, Botha explains this aspect in his own words as:

In my mind, I sometimes concocted a kind of genealogical chart – a criminal family tree, if you will, linking all the characters. The links and overlaps were just too incredible to pass up writing about. That all of them lived during such a fecund time in Johannesburg’s history made it all the more appealing. It is easy to forget that the city was trying to set itself up as one of the great metropolises of the world, and for a time it almost did. There was no place like it on the continent. In a way that made the mushrooming city feel more like a small town, the players sometimes crossed paths, an unintended concert of killers and victims.

This passage is exactly what makes Botha’s interpretation of De Melker’s narrative remarkable. The book aims to intertwine De Melker’s story with those of other South African criminals, public figures and conmen of the era, establishing a kaleidoscopic portrait of Johannesburg’s underworld. This viewpoint allows the reader to be engaged constantly as the narrative changes between interconnected life-stories, contributing to a wider sense of intrigue and danger. For any reader who enjoys true crime, the book offers not only a central mystery but also a diverse cast of surprising characters. Additionally, the shocking nature of De Melker’s trial, where she became something of a public spectacle, contributes to another layer of intrigue. Captivated by the proceedings, crowds would gather outside of the Supreme Court in Johannesburg whilst Daisy herself reportedly engaged with the media’s attention in an approach reminiscent of celebrity culture. This feature of the narrative, detailed vastly in the book, resonates with contemporary audiences as it reflects the modern obsessions with media sensationalism along with high-profile criminal cases. It bridges past and present, demonstrating how a public fascination with crime is not deemed a new phenomenon but, as a result, has become a much more recurring element of modern society.

From the stylistic standpoint, Botha successfully blends meticulous research with vivid storytelling – a combination which stands out as one of the book’s greatest strengths. It continuously draws from a broad range of historical sources whilst still maintaining a narrative coherence that is not only accessible to the historian, but also to the general reader. An example of these historical sources incorporated entails the use of maps, newsletters, photographs and medical records. The inclusion of diverse figures from writers to gangsters and prisoners, along with the use of these sources, elevates the text, offering a sense of historical depth. Instead of isolating Daisy’s story, Botha positions it within a wider social and cultural context, thereby reinforcing its significance.

The book makes a considerable contribution by addressing various historiographical gaps that have, for a significant time, influenced the narrative around Daisy de Melker and early 20th century Johannesburg. Much of the earlier literature tended to isolate Daisy as an anomalous character, placing a narrow focus on the notorious details of her crime whilst neglecting the wider urban and social context in which she continued to operate. Botha seeks to overcome this limitation in his book by positioning her within an intricate network of criminality, showcasing that her actions were not as exceptional as demonstrated by previous publications, but rather were integrated within a broader culture of both violence and deception. In doing this, the book fills a gap in grasping how rapid industrialisation, urban modernity and social fragmentation brought about environments in which such crimes could take place and remain undetected.

Botha also addresses the relative absence of gendered analysis within earlier narratives through his book. An example of this can be found in his assessment conducted of Daisy’s identity as a nurse and a woman, which, as a result, enabled her to delay suspicion for a longer period. By placing an emphasis on De Melker’s role as a nurse, the author demonstrates how her medical knowledge, assumed respectability and social role functioned as a protective layer to avoid any scepticism in the early stages of her crimes. It is also worth noting that the book builds on the stories of underrepresented subjects involved with interconnected cases, resulting in a richer historical reconstruction. This element demonstrates once again how the book goes beyond a biography that only places the focus on one individual, moving towards a more nuanced and contextually grounded approach.

Conclusion

By examining De Melker as both an individual and a product of her environment, Botha challenges readers to rethink the simplistic notions of criminality. He encourages the historian and public in general to reconsider the boundaries established between ordinary lives and extraordinary violence in early 20th century South Africa. He emphasises how memory and myth can continue to formulate different perceptions of Daisy de Melker at present when the broader historical discourse is taken into account. One of the primary themes the book conveys is the notion that Daisy’s story cannot be understood in its entirety if it is studied in isolation from the world and historical context in which she lived. The book offers a compelling and accessible account that blends the depth of historical narrative with the suspense of true crime. Although it does rely occasionally on dramatic pacing, it does not undermine its analytical value and historical insight.

For the South African historian, Botha’s work provides a valuable insight into social dynamics, urban development, and the cultural construction of crime within early 20th century Johannesburg. It provides a pivotal contribution to both popular and academic understandings of South Africa’s past, illustrating how individual narratives can shed light on greater historical realities.