Let’s talk about bringing back the death penalty, says IFP

As the abuse against children and women escalates in South Africa, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) wants the public to discuss whether the time has come to bring back the death penalty or not.

The country has been marred by violent attacks on women in recent months, and the most notable one is that of Karabo Mokoena who was killed and burned by her boyfriend Sandile Mantsoe in Johannesburg.

He is currently serving 32 years behind bars after admitting to putting petrol on Mokoena’s body and setting it alight.

In a statement released on Friday, IFP chief whip in parliament Narend Singh said the party has written to parliament’s Joint Constitutional Review Committee to request that the matter of whether or not the death penalty should be reinstated be “urgently” placed on the committee’s agenda for public input and discussion.

“An open and frank discussion must be had in our country about this matter as South African’s are becoming more and more fed up with the scourge of violent and sexual crimes, particularly against women and children.

“Current deterrents to violent crime particularly murder, rape and aggravated robbery are to some extent ineffective, and a debate about finding alternative solutions at this juncture is a necessary one,” Singh said.

He said his party was concerned as crime levels have “drastically increased over recent years.”

“The IFP has called upon the committee to initiate this debate and discussion with the broader South African public. This request has also been filed with the office of the Speaker of Parliament, Baleka Mbete MP and the Secretary to Parliament. We believe that as a responsible political party we are duty-bound to raise such matters of national importance and place them into the public discourse for further discussion,” he said.

The death penalty was abolished in South Africa in 1990.

According to the Institute of Race Relations, about 4 000 people were hanged in the country between 1910 and 1989.

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