South Africans are demanding the death penalty as calls for harsher punishment for perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) grow, Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane said on Tuesday.
Mabuyane was speaking at the Provincial Commemoration of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children at Ntibeni Village, Ngcobo, just days after people across the country participated in the Women For Change national shutdown on Friday, demanding action amid the GBVF crisis.
“The rise in public anger has led to renewed calls for the reinstatement of the death penalty, particularly for heinous crimes such as rape, femicide, and yes, even corruption,” he said.
He conceded that people were frustrated by the levels of GBVF.
Mabuyane said while the government understood the anger, it was also a constitutional democracy.
“These calls are rooted in real and deep pain. As government, we do not dismiss these views.
“They reflect a society that is traumatised, exhausted and desperate for justice,” he said.
“The conversation around punitive measures must remain within the rule of law, constitutional values and international human rights obligations.”
Over the past year, authorities had scaled up cross-government collaboration to tackle GBVF through initiatives such as strengthened response and law-enforcement support, GBVF hotlines and rapid-response units within the SAPS, and supporting the establishment of Thuthuzela Care Centres.
The ANC in the province voiced its support for the fight against GBVF, with party provincial spokesperson Yanga Zicina saying it was a societal responsibility that required the active participation of men, women, boys, girls and media houses alike.
“Violence has no place in our society,” he said.
“Let us create an Eastern Cape where every woman and child can live without fear.”
Daily Dispatch