The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa
Chipinge correspondent
PEOPLE in Chipinge have expressed mixed feelings over the death penalty during a grassroots consultation exercise held at Gaza Hall in the town today (Thursday).
The Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, with support from the Centre for Applied Legal Research (CALR) and the Embassy of Switzerland, has embarked on a countrywide exercise to consult people at the grassroots, which is meant to give ordinary citizens a chance to have their say in the process of drafting Zimbabwe’s position on death penalty.
Airing their views during today’s exercise, the majority of those present were in favour of the death penalty coming into force, while a handful where against it.
Mr Freeman Mujaji Chinyama said: “I think those who commit murder with constructive intent must face the death penalty because this is a serious crime and someone’s life would have been lost. This will act as a deterrent to other would-be offenders.
“Sentencing murder convicts to lengthy jail terms is not enough because it costs the Government to look after them by using taxpayers’ money which would have otherwise been put to some other uses.”
Mr Freedom Mapuya concurred with him, saying he was in support of the death penalty.
He, however, had reservations about women being spared from the death penalty.
In terms of Section 48 (2) (C) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the death penalty exempts women and a person who was below 21 years when the offence was committed.
“We understand that the law exempts all women and I have qualms about that. Some women are committing grisly murders, like the Chivhu woman who killed all her children in cold blood, and I think those are the cases that the death penalty should be applied,” said Mr Mapuya.
Ms Nothando Gora said she was advocating the death penalty to be applicable for 18-year-olds upwards.
Expressing her sentiments, Ms Cynthia Maingeni said: “I am against the death penalty because it is too callous.”
Representing the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, chief law officer, Mr Charles Manhiri, said the death penalty has been topical in many countries and in Zimbabwe it has been lobbied for and against.
“Government, through the Ministry of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs with support from development partners, has taken the discussion to the members of the public from all walks of life to afford them a chance to air their views on the matter. The views gathered from these consultations will assist Government in coming up with a position as a country,” said Mr Manhiri.
For nearly 18 years the country has a de facto moratorium on the death penalty.
There has been no execution of inmates on death penalty in Zimbabwe since 2005.
