- Target:
- The Presidency Republic of South Africa
- Region:
- South Africa
The advent of a democratic government in South Africa 1n 1994 ushered in a period of transition in Governance. The introduction of amended and new legislation in many areas of our lives have either impacted negatively or positively.
The implications of the repeal of the Death Penalty fostered the belief and or the perception that the justice system is ineffective and not a deterrent.
Sentencing of criminals is also a source of concern.
We the undersigned, call on THE PRESIDENCY OF THE RSA to enforce the Judicial System of RSA to implement harsher sentences for contact crimes.
In South Africa, a life sentence is mandatory for premeditated murder, gang rape, serial rape, rape where the rapist knew they were HIV positive, or if the victim was under 18 and/or mentally disabled. In certain circumstances, robberies and hijackings also carry a mandatory life sentence.
But section 51 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1977 controls the minimum sentences for 'other' types of murders, rapes and robberies to 25, 15 and 10 years respectively, so parole is almost always granted to life sentences after the minimum sentence for the lesser crime has been served. However, a prisoner must be given a parole hearing after having served 25 years.
We request that in such circumstances harsher sentences be given and criminals not be given parole.
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The Harsher Sentences for Contact Crime Offences in South Africa petition to The Presidency Republic of South Africa was written by Anil Singh and is in the category National Affairs at GoPetition.