Helen Zille Weighs In On Calls to Bring Back the Death Penalty, Says Innocent People Will Die

• The DA's Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille is not in favour of the reinstatement of the death penalty in South Africa
• Zill believes that the implementation of the death penalty could lead to the deaths of many innocent people because of the failing justice system
• Soe South Africans are in agreement with Zille and say the justice system needs to be fixed first before the death penalty can be considered

JOHANNESBURG - Helen Zille, the Democratic Alliance Federal Council Chairperson has weighed in on the mounting calls to have the death penalty reinstated in South Africa, especially with the rise in crimes against women and children.

The former DA leader says she does not believe that the death penalty is the way to go and could lead to a miscarriage of justice and innocent people could be killed.

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In the past few weeks, organisations such as the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) have been calling for harsher punishments for Gender-based violence(GBV), reports TimesLIVE. The country has been reeling in the wake of the deaths of Hillary Gardee, Namhla Mtwa and six-year-old Bontle Mashiyane.

Contralesa stated that the killing of women and children has gotten out of hand, adding that some of the preparators are repeat offenders who are out on bail, which makes it worse.

Zille recently responded to a Twitter user who said that at the next general elections, they will vote for a political organisation that promises to bring back the death penalty. Zille stated that the failing justice system will lead to the deaths of innocent people because we cannot rely on the police to carry out good detective work.

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Zille wrote:

"A lot of innocent people will hang simply because we have a failing criminal justice system. You cannot rely on the police to do good detective work, or the courts to necessarily convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent. Be careful what you wish for."

This is not the first time people have made the call for the death penalty. In 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa noted that people wanted the harshest punishment to be implemented, however, the president stated that the death penalty was not in line with the Bill of Rights.

Ramaphosa stated there are other ways of implementing harsh punishment and that can include a life sentence with hard labour.

South Africans weigh in on the death penalty for GBV

Some South Africans were in agreement with Zille and said the death penalty has the potential of being abused. Other people stated that it should be reinstated.

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Here are some comments:

@MaxonT_Hadebe said:

"I completely agree, Comrade Zille. The system needs to be fixed first before we can talk about the death penalty."

@WendelBloem1 said:

"The Constitutional Court has already ruled against the death penalty. There is also no political will amongst the majority political leadership to venture back into this discussion."

@GerhardGroBler1 said:

"This argument is the only thing that stands between the anti and pro-death penalty. I was shot in the head while lying face down on the floor. Hands and feet tied up. Before this, I was anti-death penalty..."

Congress of Traditional Leaders wants death penalty reinstated following gender-based violence rise

Briefly News previously reported that in the wake of gender-based violence and the rise in killings of children, the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa has called for the death penalty to be reinstated. The president of Contralesa, Chief Lameck Mokoena, said South Africa is becoming a banana republic.

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His comments come after the death of a missing six-year-old girl, who was found raped and murdered. Three people were arrested in connection with Bontle Mashiyane’s death after her body was found mutilated.

Mokoena says many of the perpetrators are former convicts out on parole. During an interview with SABC News, he said the murders of women and children have gotten out of hand.

Source: Briefly News