Death penalty only solution to crime

Your sensational headline in the paper of September 12 “Die, the beloved country” referred to the annualised murder of 20 000 victims; by African standards it seems par for the course.

The statistic that was missing is the conviction rate of those found guilty of the killings.

An article of the same day was about a gang in Limpopo who had terrorised the area for 10 years and one of them axed his victim to death, yet only received a jail sentence of 10 years, which is hardly a deterrent. Any wonder why we are such a violent society.

Crimes of sexual assault increased by 9%, no doubt because of the leniency of the punishment, yet the victims are more often psychologically scarred for life.

The liberal world finds the death penalty barbaric, suggesting it is not a deterrent, but if our policing was efficient, there would be an additional 20 000 in jail, probably requiring more correctional services facilities to supply accommodation, feeding and recreational facilities.

The effort is not a justifiable cost, because over 90% of criminals remain unrehabilitated.

If violent criminals show little reverence for human life, they should accept retribution goes with the turf. Ted O’Connor