Pietermaritzburg – KwaZulu-Natal Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Willies Mchunu on Tuesday dismissed calls for the death penalty to be reinstated.
Mchunu, who was responding to demands in the provincial legislature by the National Freedom Party (NFP) that a referendum on the death penalty was needed, said: “We cannot return to the primitive era where the state was killing people. There is no evidence to back the claim that a death penalty results to a reduction on crime, so the call is a false hope.”
The debate over the death penalty went ahead in the legislature despite Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus leader caucus leader Sizwe Mchunu pointing out that such a debate needed to take place in the national assembly and not the provincial legislature.
The NFP said it was time to revisit the matter in light of the province’s high crime statistics. “Seeing that it is 21 years that you (the ANC) have been in power, let us (go) to the people and get their response,” said NFP provincial deputy chairman Erickson Zungu as he directed his gaze to ANC members.
He cited statistics which showed that violent crime was on the rise and that the spate of attacks on police was proof of the need to take a tough stance against crime.
Sizwe Mchunu said the uncontrollable levels of crime was an evidence of failed leadership, naming both MEC Mchunu and KZN police commissioner Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni.
“What can you expect from an MEC who does not attend committee meetings where crime issues can be discussed? The fact of the matter is you cannot expect a lot when leadership is failing,” Mchunu said.
The Economic Freedom Front’s Vusi Khoza said attacks on police were an end result of anger from community members.
“When people are complaining about service delivery they are shot at like Andries Tatane, when they want better salaries they are shot at like in Marikana and when students call for a freeze on fee increase they are shot at by police. What attitude do you expect from members of the public?” quizzed Khoza.
Nhlanhla Msimang from the Inkatha Freedom Party and Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi from the Minority Front said they supported the call for a referendum on the death penalty.
African News Agency
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