What is your take on the death penalty is South Africa?

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Reb Da Rebel

I'm so torn when it comes to this issue.

Like Zim put it, innocent people may die for crimes they didnt commit. We cant play God with peoples lives.

Yet again the same murderers decided to play God with innocent peoples lives. How do you not vote for the death penalty if, say for instance Zim, someone decides to hack your son into tiny bits and toss him in the Juskei river?

It is so hard. If anyone took my baby's life or Fallens, I'd sure pack a hammer and tear them to pieces. The thing is, the innocent people who die have no choice or say in the matter. There are no trials that decide whether they should die or not. Then the savage monster gets a trial, even last meal in some circumstances and chance to say by to the family when the victim never got that chance. The criminal can at least decide there an then, that I shouldnt take this life, because mine will follow - if the death penalty exists.

But then again... I'm not God. So I dont really know what to say. I'd be torn.

cheri

Yes it is long overdue because we pay to keep them in jail and other criminals don't do their time for the prison don't have the infrastructure and those rapists should be castrated so it might discourage others

cakes4africa

I can understand and partially agree to all the arguments above, BUT, a person who can not respect the life of another, simply does nod need to have his life spared. There I must agree with the pastor. Let God speak. If murderers know in advance that they could get the death sentence for their deeds, then they will think twice before killing someone. Plain and simple. And Cheri, you are right, all rapists should be castrated. If they knew that they could be castrated if they rape someone, then they will also think three times before commiting something like that. And killing the rape vicitim would bring the death sentence, QED.

pastor phokojoe

if you read your biblie it says clearly that the person that kill another person must die ,that is why the world is upside down because they dont follow the bible anymore. i believe in the death penalty for the sake of our innocent children.

my honest opinion is that only potential murderers would disagree to have the deathpenalty back

MB1810

Zim definitely makes a valid point, unfortunately I still say bring back the death penalty.

Zim's second point refers to the State being able to take human life, what about the lives of innocent's being taken by the accused murderer. The death penalty would be to protect law abiding citizens. Murder for the greater good. (Harsh)

Sophia

Every day thousands of people in SA die as victims of crime. Not even to mention those who still live, but are so traumatized that they can't continue to live their lives properly. And rape victims - it's disgusting.

The prisons in SA are over-populated. So much, that the prison sentences become shorter and prisoners get "freed" in order to get a "second chance". (It happened in the past that the same ones got caught again, freed again and caught again - fact). It's a senseless circle.

With that said, I think that SA will become much much more civilized with a DEATH SENTENCE.

cgroenewald_2000

If it was my decision, I would bring the death penalty back without even blinking.

Tweety

I would say yes on this one. It will definitely scare the bad people and get this country more organized and crime free.

mr.mars-"H"-mallow

Under a very scrutinized legal system I would see it re-instituted. Since it has been scrapped, what was the increase in violent and serious crimes. It is to a very large effect those that has not been affected by such crimes that will plea for the lives of the perpetrators. Botswana still executes, how do they match up to South Africa?

Agree to a large extend to many of the viewpoints, but one has to draw a line somewhere. Being nice is one thing, playing God, something completely different.

They keep on releasing violent criminals back on the street. What is going to make you stop if there is no ultimate punishment in the end of the day?

just wondering ....

Alf Garnett 9

The last time I read on this subject more than 80% of South Africans want a return of the death penalty. Of course it will never happen as the ANC would be hanging their own and will cite reasons such as Zim's answer which apply to civilised and advanced Societies in the West and not to South Africa.
It took the UK until 1957 before it felt safe enough to abolish the Death Penalty and South Africa is nowhere near the level of civilisation that the UK had in 1957. If your Justice system was strong enough it would soon weed out the mistakes but with a less than 7% conviction rate for criminals then like most things in SA it has fallen into disrepute. Nevertheless evn with a few mistakes better to hang them rather than keep them on the streets or waste Taxpayers money by keeping the few who are jailed alive. Africans have a much higher level of psychopathy then Caucasians and by adopting rules that apply to Caucasians then you write a death sentence for many. These psychopaths cannot be rehabilitated and are of no value on the Planet.
I wonder how many South Africans realise that when you project your crime levels forward then 84000 people will be murdered and more than 150.000 women Raped between now and 2010. The ANC will pretend it is a Human Rights issue but given their record on human rights abuses they should be laughed off and SA should reinstate the Death Penalty until a level of evolution similar to that of Europe can be achieved.

Smiley

Definitely bring back the death penalty

SAgirl

Sadly no because your law system is not fair and our police is crap so the chances of convicting the wrong person in south africa is almost certain so the wrong person will die in the end

zxcv

Adree with Zim and DWali on this one
Maybe give the bastards hard labour or something
cos they need to suffer for their crimes , Death will just be an escape - y should the families of the victims or the victims themselves that survive suffer and they just die and rest in peace...
*****
Totally agree inno
Id also just wanna kill the bastards

dWali

I hate our levels of crime.

The death penalty is not acceptable under any circumstances in any country.

Zim said it so eloquently, I cannot add anything.

I would say; "No death penalty". Until at least three concerns have been adequately sorted out, I'll remain opposed to the death penalty.

1. Despite all processes in place - there's is likelihood that innocent people can get a death sentence. If the sentence has been executed, how to you correct the mistake when the truth comes out.

An example in South Africa. On March 19 1993 a white woman and her two children were killed in what was an apparent political/racist attack. Three ANC members were found guilty of the murder. All legal avenues were exhausted and they remained guilty. In the meantime the death penalty was abolished. So their sentences had to be commuted to life.

Then the PAC came forth and accepted responsibility for the killing. Indepth probe was conducted, their claim thoroughly investigated. All evidence supplied by them - which was never before the court was found to be credible. A process had to be followed to annul the original verdict. Now, what would have happened if the ANC guys were hanged? How would the correction be made? There are many similar cases in the USA.

2. Giving the state the right to hang people is an institutionalised murder. It would be saying - only the state has the right to kill/murder people. Every life is sacrosanct - even the state has no right to kill. Given likely genuine and careless mistakes by the courts, the likelihood exists that some despots would use the courts and death sentence to permanently silence their opponents. We must leave nothing to chance.

3. There is no scientific proof that death penalty deters people from committing crime.

Ayiza

If it worked then why does the USA still have crime?
Go and speak to any criminologist they will tell you it is not the solution.

Life in prison is already a death penalty think about it.

The thing is we can not use the law as a form of revenge.

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