-by Newsbreak's Taresh Harreeparshad.
Instating the death penalty in South Africa is possible- but exceptionally difficult.
In order to legalise capital punishment key sections in the Bill of Rights and chapter two of the Constitution will have to be ammended. This includes Section 11 which proclaims that “Everyone has the right to life". Based on this and many other sections of the Constitution the judiciary subsequently ruled that capital punishment is also forbidden by the current Constitution Act of 1996.
These sections maybe amended- but it would require a Bill passed by the National Assembly with a supporting vote of at least 75% of its members and a supporting vote of at least 6 provinces in the National Council Of Provinces.
While experts describe this as a herculean task- South African citizens claim they are fed up with escalating reports of violent crime. To support independent and impartial public debate Newsbreak Talk opened the possibility of instating the death penalty up for debate. This followed the massacre of a family of seven in Newark, northern Kwa-Zulu Natal. Three suspects have been arrested- and have abandoned their bail application in the KwaDukuza Magistrate's Court.
We began the discussion with KZN Premier Thami Ntuli's view on the call to instate the death penalty in South Africa...

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