EDITOR – I write concerning the five year prison sentence imposed upon Oscar Pistorius in his culpable homicide conviction. Should the conviction of Schabir Shaik be anything to go by, we can expect to see Oscar out in around six months’ time. Day in and day out in our courts, lengthy terms of imprisonment are imposed upon people convicted of various offences including but not limited to assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, fraud, theft, attempted murder and murder.Unfortunately, most accused persons are previously disadvantaged and cannot afford proper legal representation or any attorney and thereafter must put up with free legal representation. Unfortunately, it is a sad state of affairs that predominantly white people in this country can afford the best things in life.Whilst, culpable homicide is less serious than murder, the fact remains a life was taken and more emphasis should have been placed on that factor.A previously disadvantaged accused may end up serving three years’ imprisonment for housebreaking yet someone from an advantaged white background due to the mitigation of his counsel may walk away with either a suspended sentence or five years imprisonment for taking someone’s life. Someone still young and who had their whole life ahead of them. Much tougher measures are required in this country to ensure a sharing of wealth, property and land to empower the majority. The majority are not second class citizens despite all the lies of Apartheid still believed by some who are terrified of loosing their unfair privileges.
Siya Mkhize
Avoca
