Six years after the abolishment of the death penalty...

Six years after the abolishment of the death penalty in South Africa, hundreds of former death row prisoners are still awaiting their fate as the department of justice drags its feet on reviewing their sentences.
A prisoners' organisation threatened to seek urgent relief through the High Court and Constitutional Court on behalf of 200 death row prisoners who were sentenced prior to 1994 under the apartheid government. In 1996 the prisoners' sentences were subjected to review after the Constitutional Court outlawed the death penalty. The South African Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights wrote a letter to the Minister of Justice Penuell Maduna advising him to pay particular attention to the matter, and death row prisoners in Westville and Pietermaritzburg prisons embarked on a two-day hunger strike in an effort to get the department's attention.
Organisation spokesperson Derrick Mdluli said that his organisation was disturbed as the department was dragging its feet on the reviewing process.
"This has a traumatic effect on the prisoners in that they don't know what sentences they are serving," Mdluli said.
Department of correctional services spokesperson Russel Mamabolo said the death row prisoners were scattered around South African jails.
"We had about 400 of these prisoners when they were incarcerated in Pretoria prison. It shows that there is something happening in terms of reviewing their sentences," said Mamabolo.
Paul Setsetse of the justice department said there was a delay in reviewing the prisoner's sentences because of a number of factors, including arranging legal aid for the prisoners. In commuting the sentences, the court would take into account that the prisoners had been in jail, he said. Setsetse added that the department was checking with the High Court how many prisoners had had their sentences reviewed and by which courts the other 200 prisoners were sentenced.