Bring back death penalty: Kaura

THE death penalty should be brought back as a measure to curb heinous crimes such as the recent gruesome murder of a woman whose body parts have been found in roadside rubbish bins, a member of the opposition has urged.

“Innocent women were murdered, a twelve-year-old boy was executed in Walvis Bay in May 2006, and two twin babies were raped just a few days ago,” said Katuutire Kaura, President of the DTA. He formally asked the Minister of Justice, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, in Parliament yesterday to “find a way to bring back the death sentence, which was abolished in 1990, when Namibia became independent.”Apart from the body of a poor woman found on the roadside recently minus arms, legs and the head, three other young women were killed: Melanie Janse, just 22 years old was found murdered on August 20, 2005, the corpse of 21-year-old Juanita Mabula without the head was discovered on October 29, 2005 and just six weeks later, on December 28 2005, the body of the youngest female victim, Viola Swartbooi, who only lived up to the age of 18, was also discovered,” Kaura told the House.”Is it a crime, is it an abomination for this House to apply its democratic mind to rethink the possibility of finding a way to bring back the death penalty?” Kaura wanted to know.He formally asked the Minister of Justice, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, in Parliament yesterday to “find a way to bring back the death sentence, which was abolished in 1990, when Namibia became independent.”Apart from the body of a poor woman found on the roadside recently minus arms, legs and the head, three other young women were killed: Melanie Janse, just 22 years old was found murdered on August 20, 2005, the corpse of 21-year-old Juanita Mabula without the head was discovered on October 29, 2005 and just six weeks later, on December 28 2005, the body of the youngest female victim, Viola Swartbooi, who only lived up to the age of 18, was also discovered,” Kaura told the House.”Is it a crime, is it an abomination for this House to apply its democratic mind to rethink the possibility of finding a way to bring back the death penalty?” Kaura wanted to know.