“We Will Not Bring Back the Death Penalty” – Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi Reaffirms Government’s Position
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi has made it clear that the South African government has no plans to reinstate the death penalty, saying capital punishment has no place under the country’s democratic Constitution.
Kubayi said those calling for the return of the death penalty should understand that such a move would conflict with the values of human dignity, equality and human rights protected by the Constitution. She noted that the Constitutional Court abolished the death penalty in 1995, marking a new era based on justice and respect for human life.
Speaking during the Gallows Lecture in Gqeberha, Kubayi paid tribute to anti-apartheid activists who were executed under the previous regime. She said many of them fought for a South Africa where human rights are respected and cruel or inhumane punishment has no place.
Although some South Africans continue to support the return of the death penalty because of rising violent crime, Kubayi stressed that the solution lies in strengthening the criminal justice system, improving policing and ensuring the effective prosecution of offenders, rather than restoring a punishment that was declared unconstitutional more than three decades ago.
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