Calls for death penalty review
MPs outraged by abuse of women
Two political parties have called for a referendum on the death penalty during a debate in the National Assembly on the scourge of violence against women and children.
The urgent debate on the issue of the wave of violence against women and children sweeping the nation was called for by the DA.
The issue has come under the spotlight after several recent incidents in which young women and children were raped and brutally murdered and rapes in parts of the country in the last few weeks.
During the debate, the IFP’s Mkhluleko Hlengwa and the NFP’s Ahmed Shaik-Emam said it was time to call for a referendum on the death penalty to punish abusers.
The DA’s Zak Mbhele, who was the sponsor of the debate, said it was an issue close to his heart as his own mother had been brutally murdered six years ago. Many opposition party speakers pointed to a failure by the police to take cases of domestic violence seriously.
The EFF’s Hlengiwe Hlope said cases were often relegated to the bottom of the pile and if they did make it to court, women were “dehumanised” and their sexuality called into question, the way President Jacob Zuma’s rape accuser had been questioned.
She also questioned where Minister for Women Susan Shabangu was, as she did not speak in the debate and did not attend the sitting.
But Home Affairs Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize said Shabangu had been working hard on the ground in recent weeks and her department was giving an important voice to women.
DA MP Mike Waters quoted a speech he gave several years ago and said “we have this debate every single year”, but said nothing had changed because “there is no political will”.
Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula, however, said that fighting violence against women and children had become his priority and that while others were politicking on the issue, “we are rolling up our sleeves”.
“There is no time to waste time when our children live in terror. Enough is enough.”