Manqele judge s speech wrong

WHEN I read the judgment by Judge Solly Sithole in the Sindisiwe Manqele case my blood, boiled.

He is reported to have said, “In other countries in Africa they take you to the beach and get a firing squad to fire at you.”

As Africans we can no longer be content with the dark continent stigma and hypocrisy being churned out daily. It is more repugnant coming from our own kith and kin.

Such statements uttered by Africans in positions of authority and honour solidify the concept of targeted misinformation as a tool of mass deception. Such insensitive misdirected and misleading utterances should be challenged vigorously.

The honourable judge erred in giving Africa as an example of senseless execution.

Amnesty International lists more than 18 Africans that abolished the death sentence. South Africa did so in 1995 and eight other African countries did that earlier. Central African Republic set the pace as early as 1981.

Amnesty International statistics show that in 2015 more than 600 people worldwide were executed. The US executed more than 50 people while the United Arab Emirates executed 300 offenders. African countries put together accounted for only 40 executions. These stats really show that it’s not only in Africa that bad things happen.

Mabasa Zinyemba, Kwaggasrand