The appointment as correctional services minister of Pieter Groenewald, who over the years advocated for the government to reinstate capital punishment to curb crime, has sparked debate about his controversial views.
South Africa has been grappling, unsuccessfully, with rising crime for years and some people have called on the government to reinstate the death penalty.
Groenewald has made public statements about his support for the death penalty, saying it would be used to deal with people sentenced for murder.
“We support the death penalty, we are in favour of that for murder. However, we are cautious because if you look at some findings of some courts, we get worried. We must be careful. Therefore we still believe in the death penalty but say the prerequisites to ensure the person can get the death penalty if found guilty of murder must be stringent to avoid double standards,” said Groenewald in an interview with News24 in 2019.
His predecessor, Ronald Lamola, did not support calls for the death penalty.
“It goes without saying where there is a death penalty, crime is not deterred. The consensus is now substantial: there is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long terms of imprisonment,” Lamola has stated previously.
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Image: Freddy Mavunda
The appointment as correctional services minister of Pieter Groenewald, who over the years advocated for the government to reinstate capital punishment to curb crime, has sparked debate about his controversial views.
South Africa has been grappling, unsuccessfully, with rising crime for years and some people have called on the government to reinstate the death penalty.
Groenewald has made public statements about his support for the death penalty, saying it would be used to deal with people sentenced for murder.
“We support the death penalty, we are in favour of that for murder. However, we are cautious because if you look at some findings of some courts, we get worried. We must be careful. Therefore we still believe in the death penalty but say the prerequisites to ensure the person can get the death penalty if found guilty of murder must be stringent to avoid double standards,” said Groenewald in an interview with News24 in 2019.
His predecessor, Ronald Lamola, did not support calls for the death penalty.
“It goes without saying where there is a death penalty, crime is not deterred. The consensus is now substantial: there is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long terms of imprisonment,” Lamola has stated previously.
Here are some reactions from social media:
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