The ANC parliamentary caucus on Monday ruled out the death penalty for perpetrators of gender-based violence, but was in favour of legislative changes to address the scourge of femicide which have led to widespread outrage across South Africa.
Addressing the media on the outcomes of the past weekend’s caucus lekgotla, Chief Whip Pemmy Majodina said the Sexual Offences Act and Domestic
Violence Act would be amended to allow for stricter punishment for perpetrators.
This included no bail for those accused of gender-based violence, but she said the ANC would not make a “populist” call for the death penalty to be reinstated.
The ANC caucus supported additional measures including that a national emergency should be declared, that the National Register for Sex Offenders be made public, and life sentences without the possibility of parole be imposed on offenders.