MP questions removal of death penalty when ritual ...

MP questions removal of death penalty when ritual murders are prevalent

Nyashadzashe Ndoro

The prevalence of ritual killings in Zimbabwe has led to the trenchant questioning of the logic behind the scrapping of the death penalty.

Lawyers and human rights activists have been calling for the removal of the death penalty for over two decades, describing it as an archaic and draconian law that does not resonate with present times and Christian ethos and values.

Cabinet on Tuesday approved the abolition of the death penalty. Accordingly, Parliament is expected to amend section 47 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and repeal sections 337 to 342 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act to facilitate the abolition of the death penalty in Zimbabwe.

Speaking in the National Assembly on Thursday, Bikita South MP, Energy Mutodi questioned why capital punishment was being removed when ritual murders are prevalent in the country.

“But on a point of privilege, Hon. Speaker, I wanted the response from the responsible Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, why, because Cabinet has adopted a memorandum of a Private Member’s Bill to have the death penalty removed from the Constitution, yet we have court days on ritual murders taking place throughout the country.

“So, I really needed a response from the responsible Minister to confirm whether his Ministry is in the affirmative to remove the death penalty from the Constitution. Your response Hon. Speaker, I accept but I took it as some kind of defensive statement of which there could be more proper review if we got it from the horse’s mouth,” the former Information Deputy Minister asked.

The Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Mudenda, responded by advising Mutodi to raise the matter when the death penalty legislation is tabled in the house for debate.

“Thank you, sometimes the Chair has to defend the logic. When I see that there is some element of illogical presentation, I have to say it. In any case, the death penalty legislation is currently before Parliament. Once it is tabled, you will be given all the opportunity to bring that aspect that you had raised in detail,” he said.

In September last year, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency revealed that at least 40 percent of the 3 600 murder cases that were documented in 2022 were suspected ritual killings.