The crime statistics confirm what we have known for a long time – law enforcement is not working, and jail sentences are not a deterrent. Murder and rape go on unabated, drug lords — many of them known to the police and communities — thrive, and gangs are allowed to rule the roost in vulnerable communities. To his credit, police minister Bheki Cele showed emotion when reading out the numbers. He weeps with a nation mourning the murder of loved ones, the rape of young daughters and the shooting of innocent youngsters with stray bullets from gangsters’ guns. Surely it’s time to open the death penalty debate? Murderers and rapists deserve to be removed from society, not spend time in the safety and relative comfort of prison. Perpetrators, unlike their victims, have a second chance in life. Where’s the fairness? A good start would be to hold a referendum to see how communities feel about permanently ridding themselves of murderers and rapists. Cliff Buchler George
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