Paranormal investigator Nigel Mullinder poses for a photograph, 5 March 2026, in Modderfontein, east of Johannesburg. Mullinder has a large social media following where his videos explore paranormal activity across Gauteng and South Africa. He recently visited the former home of deceased convicted paedophile and serial killer Gert van Rooyen and attempted to speak to Van Rooyen and his victimes. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
From reading Goosebumps books to hunting paranormal activity and spur-of-the-moment exorcisms, Nigel Mullinder, 32, from Edenvale, shares his love for adrenaline, caffeine and fighting against gender-based violence (GBV).
Mullinder, who is known on social media for paranormal activities, was born at the former Johannesburg General Hospital in 1993 and grew up in Hillbrow before moving to Woodfield, Boksburg and, later, Edenvale.
Education and career path
He completed his academic career with an engineering certificate and later pursued a career in coffee, which ultimately led him to further his paranormal investigations.
“My parents wanted to put up a church in Namibia so I went over to home-schooling, but it never happened, but I continued with the home schooling.”
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After school, Mullinder worked as a head barista at State 5 Craft Coffee Roastery in Modderfontein, where he is now general manager.
He is also part of the team for the Slayer Energy drink.
“I am also a director for Family Protection Association fighting abuse against women, children and men, working to stop the pandemic that is GBV,” Mullinder said.
Passion for coffee and technical skills
Crazy about coffee and caffeine, which includes energy drinks, he started making coffee at the age of 13 years old.
“I have also explored the more technical side of coffee, like the machines and fixing them. I am technically minded.
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“From the love of technical stuff, I got into the electrical engineering of things. Some of the paranormal equipment I have used in the past is of my own design,” he said.
When Mullinder is not busy with his paranormal interests, he spends time gaming and going to the gym.
“I could see, feel and hear things from a young age. And I didn’t have anybody to talk to about it,” he added.
First paranormal experiences
Mullinder’s first paranormal experience was at the age of five when he saw a man standing in the corner of his room.
“I was scared. I went to my parents and told them, but they told me it’s the stuff I watch on TV and was told to go back to bed.
“It went on for a while until I got gatvol of not being able to sleep. After three weeks, I sat up and asked this thing what it wanted and we started having a conversation. I don’t remember a lot, I was a child.”
“I went to the library as a snot-nosed kid, thinking, what’s the best way to figure out what’s going on.
“I started reading all the Goosebumps books and it was fascinating only to realise it’s fiction and not the real deal,” he added.
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Mullinder progressed to more informative material, reading occult books, religion studies and every book he could find revolving around the paranormal.
“I started exploring, as an adventurous teenager, going to abandoned places to get the adrenaline rush.
“Back then, there were no films or phones with cameras, so it was a lot harder to film it. It was more for the experience,” he said.
Encounters with dark forces
Mullinder said his scariest experience was when he first faced demonic energy.
“I was expecting a paranormal investigation, but it turned into a spur-of-the-moment exorcism.
“If you see a ghost down the hall, you get a chill, but when you are faced with a demonic energy, it feels like every cell in your body wants to go in opposite directions. It’s indescribable,” he said.
“Another cool experience is seeing the spirit of a doctor at the Kempton Park hospital.
“He made an entrance, but didn’t have legs, and had his hand out to me, almost asking for help, and then he was pulled back into the wall,” he added.
Paranormal investigations and future plans
When Mullinder initially joined a paranormal group during the Covid lockdown, he knew it was what he wanted to do which, ultimately, led to his own paranormal investigations.
“I also want to investigate true crime locations where victims tragically met their end to hear their story and possibly bring new information to light about their murders,” he added.
Mullinder is keen to investigate the Cape Castle, a famous ghost town in Lüderitz called Kolmanskop, and the Goldfields and Stanley Hotel.
He also wants to visit the Conjuring House, a notoriously haunted 14-room farmhouse in Burrillville, Rhode Island, in the US.
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