WHY NELSON MANDELA’S DIKTAT DOESN’T WORK ANY MORE: DEATH PENALTY MUST COME BACK TO S.AFRICA.

Abubakar Sematimba
The latest murdering of South African soccer player Senzo Meyiwa, and so many others who are continuously losing their lives in that country , has made the entire world and South African in particular to re-think about the possibility of reinstating the death penalty in that part of African continent.

During his presidency Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela father of a nation as referred to in South Africa, on several occasions reiterated that death penalty was not the answer to the massive killings in his country, and that other avenue had to be devised to end the problem.

'I believe death penalty will never come back to this country' the out spoken leader and son of Africa Mandela said.

Initially Nelson Mandela's idea of not reinstating the death penalty looked sounding but with time it seems the decision must be reversed.

Capital punishment existed during the apartheid governments, but it was basically administered in a biased and wrong way.

A white man could not be hanged because of killing a 'Kafar' a racist term that was used by whites as a reference to a black man.

After twenty years plus, who is to blame now for the massive killings in South Africa.

Oscar Pistorius escaped with culpable homicide for shooting his girl friend Reeva steenkamp, Lucky Dube killers are in prison enjoying tax payer's money which would have been switched to some other developmental activities.

Senzo Meyiwa killer is innocent not until the state proves beyond reasonable doubt that the accused killed the innocent footballer.

Indeed Nelson Mandela's Government had a vision, but it could only work for a short period of time.

If Madiba's government maintained the capital punishment at that time, it could mean killing and wiping out the 'innocent' majority the blacks.

Innocent in a sense that a black man did not get better anything like his white counterpart.

Stealing and killing was the order of the day, a black man had to steal 'ukueba ' to survive.

After 1994 Mandela had a lot to do to change the mind set of his people, this process could really take him some good time to bring about a meaningful and viable difference to the post marginalized black society, and these differences could range from social political and economic aspects.

Twenty years down the road black man has been empowered, education has been improved, economy is doing fairly good, and blacks are millionaires the Patrice Motsepes, Cyril Ramaphosa the vice now to President Jacob Zuma, Tokyo Sexuale to mention but those.

Though it is still a long way to go, but at least for now blacks have been empowered, many educated and so many other social grants are being given out by the government to all the people of South Africa regardless of their back grounds.

It is from such a back ground that one urges that, Nelson Mandela's decision of lifting the capital punishment in fear of administering it to 'innocent' blacks only must now be scrapped, because it is no longer applicable.

Death penalty must be reinstated in South Africa as it is the case in other countries that borders with Pretoria.

In Botswana for example, premeditated murder is punishable by death, in 2001 A South African white Mariette Bosch, was found guilty and hanged after murdering a friend with an intension of taking her husband.

The world called for her clemency even trying to engage Nelson Mandela, but Gaborone was not moved by her decision and on March 31 2001 Mariette was executed.

Let some clause of the South African constitution be reviewed, otherwise criminals will continue to take the law into their own hands.

Let the south African leadership take a leaf from the history of The Sudan, Jafaar Muhamad Nimeiry brought back Sharia Law and crime dropped considerably.

There were no killings of innocent people again in Khartoum, and other parts of the country.

Anybody who could dare killing some body knew exactly what the repercussion was.

This made Sudan to be a peaceful country to leave in until present day. So South Africa must bring back capital punishment and scrap Nelson Mandela's diktat.

About the writer: Is a Journalist, teacher and founder of blessedly-Ugandan. A foundation that promotes home made products and services.