Last week, the Congress of Traditional Leaders of SA (Contralesa) said the death penalty should be reinstated to stop the killing of women and children.
“The killing of women and children has got out of hand. What makes it worse is that many perpetrators are former convicts who are out on parole,” Contralesa president Chief Lameck Mokoena told SABC News.
“Unless government comes up with innovative ideas on how to deal with this, our country is becoming a banana republic. We call on government to call for a referendum to test the will of the people as to whether the death penalty should be brought back.”
In 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the death penalty was not compatible with the introduction of the constitution and the Bill of Rights.
“I am aware the calls for the death penalty often come in light of rising GBV but we are bound by our constitution.
“There are other means of meting out punishment, such as handing down a life sentence with hard labour,” he said.
Zille on death penalty calls: ‘Innocent people will hang because we have a failing criminal justice system’
Image: Freddy Mavunda
DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille has weighed in on calls for the reinstatement of the death penalty, saying people should be careful what they wish for.
Calls for a referendum on the death penalty have been mounting during the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide against women and children.
Over the past few weeks SA has been rocked by several GBV cases, including the murders of Hillary Gardee, Namhla Mtwa and Bontle Mashiyane.
Responding to a claim by one social media user who said they would vote for a party that reinstates the death penalty, Zille said it was not the solution.
“A lot of innocent people will hang simply because we have a failing criminal justice system,” she said.
“You cannot rely on police to do good detective work, or the courts to necessarily convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent. Be careful what you wish for.”
DA shadow minister of public enterprises Ghaleb Cachalia claimed innocent people suffer the most due to the death penalty.
“In the US, states with the death penalty have the highest murder rates. And the innocent suffer. Since 1973, more than 156 people have been released from death rows in 26 states because of innocence. At least one person is exonerated for every 10 who are executed, and it is morally wrong,” he said.
‘Women and children are being killed like flies’: Contralesa calls for a referendum on the death penalty
Last week, the Congress of Traditional Leaders of SA (Contralesa) said the death penalty should be reinstated to stop the killing of women and children.
“The killing of women and children has got out of hand. What makes it worse is that many perpetrators are former convicts who are out on parole,” Contralesa president Chief Lameck Mokoena told SABC News.
“Unless government comes up with innovative ideas on how to deal with this, our country is becoming a banana republic. We call on government to call for a referendum to test the will of the people as to whether the death penalty should be brought back.”
In 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the death penalty was not compatible with the introduction of the constitution and the Bill of Rights.
“I am aware the calls for the death penalty often come in light of rising GBV but we are bound by our constitution.
“There are other means of meting out punishment, such as handing down a life sentence with hard labour,” he said.
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