Proposed 60-Year Jail Terms For Rape To Be Reviewed After Reservations From Cabinet Ministers

Secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mrs Virginia Mabhiza has revealed that the government is reviewing a proposed 60-year jail term for rapists, after some cabinet ministers said the sentence was too severe. The authorities had proposed a mandatory 60-year minimum sentence for people who rape minors and the disabled.

Said Mabhiza:

We worked on a draft Bill that was taken to Cabinet for approval. I understand that some Cabinet members expressed reservations over the issue of the severity of the 60-year mandatory imprisonment for raping a minor.

Some ministers felt that the proposed sentence was too harsh and there was a need for it to be reviewed. The Bill was then sent back to the Attorney-General so that the issue can be revised.

It was agreed that the sentence should be deterrent, but, at the same time, should not be too harsh to the extent of having a mandatory 60-year jail term. The draft is back with the AG now, and we hope it will be accepted when it is eventually taken back to Cabinet

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