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Death penalty won’t solve SA’s crime crisis: Expert

todaySeptember 27, 2024 36

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“If murder is wrong, then the state should not murder people too,” so says political analyst, Professor Steven Friedman.

He was weighing in on the controversial issue of the death penalty, which some political parties like the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), the Freedom Front Plus and the African Transformation Movement (ATM) want reinstated in the country.

YNews reached out to him to hear his views on what lessons South Africa can learn from the acquittal of the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner in Japan after spending 48 years behind bars.

Iwao Hakamata (88), who was initially convicted in 1968, was found not guilty in a retrial in 2014 and was released from prison after DNA evidence used for his initial conviction was considered not reliable.

Hamakata spent 45 years awaiting execution for allegedly killing his boss, the man’s wife and their two teenage children and setting their house alight.

The case fueled calls by some organisations to abolish the death penalty in that country.

Now, the court that has acquitted the former boxer has given prosecutors 10 days to appeal the decision.

Photo Credit: Associated Press (AP)

Professor Friedman says this case is a classical example of how dangerous the death penalty can be as innocent people can sometimes be executed for crimes they did not commit.

 

A case in point, according to some public commentators, is that of America’s 55-year-old Marcellus Williams, who was executed on Monday after spending more than 20 years on death row.

The execution sparked public outcry, as Williams was killed despite a prosecutor questioning his conviction and his alleged victim’s family calling for his life to be spared.

The uproar was over the reliability of the two witnesses after tests revealed that there was no DNA on the knife that was allegedly used to stab former newspaper reporter, Felicia Gaylethe.

File Photo Credit: Missouri Department of Corrections via Associated Press (AP)

Friedman says while the frustration over the high rate in the country is understandable, bringing back the death penalty won’t guarantee that the crisis will be solved.

Earlier this year, convicted murderer and Facebook rapist, Thabo Bester, resuscitated the talk about the controversial policy in the country after pleading for the death sentence.

This week convicted serial rapist, Nkosinathi Phakathi, also pleaded for the death penalty during his sentencing at High Court sitting in Palm Ridge.

Phakathi was found guilty of terrorising girls and women in Ekurhuleni, mostly in Benoni.

He has since been convicted of 148 charges, including kidnapping, robbery, and over 90 counts of rape, with most of his victims being innocent schoolgirls, with the youngest being just 12 years old.

Social media users have since also taken to X, to voice their opinions on the death penalty.

Written by: Nonhlanhla Harris

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