Reinstating the death penalty will prevent anarchy in SA

I CONCUR with Councillor Yagyah Adams (“It is necessary that the death penalty be brought back”)

Twenty-six years into democracy and crime in South Africa is spiralling out of control. Prison sentences exclude the death penalty and are not viewed as a deterrent by would-be murderers or rapists.

Numerous reports indicate that SA prisons are overcrowded and there is no money to build new jails in the foreseeable future

With the abolition of the death penalty post-1994, murderers seemed to have exploited the situation They are jailed and then paroled on good behaviour a fraction into their sentence, only to be re-incarcerated after committing another murder.

I have previously shared with readers that in 2017 the government spent R19 143 on educating a child, and in contrast spent R133 800 or almost six times more on a single prisoner. For a prisoner incarcerated for a period of 30 years, the cost incurred – assuming an inflation rate of 5% – will translate to R8.9 million. This latter amount could have been better spent had the murderer been executed.

The feeding of murderers in prisons at taxpayers’ expense and at the expense our children’s education is ludicrous. It places a further drain on state coffers. Bear in mind that the Minister of Basic Education in March 2019 reported that there were 3 898 schools still with pit latrines. Do you agree that reinstating the death penalty will stem the tide of crime and prevent anarchy in our beautiful country?

ADIEL ISMAIL | Mountview