The founder of the new Pro-Death Penalty Party, Pieter...

The founder of the new Pro-Death Penalty Party, Pieter du Toit, said he did not expect to win the South African elections on April 14, 2004. But he did expect to capitalise on the growing fury at the runaway crime spree, fuelled by glaring income disparities, which has made crime a headline issue since the collapse of apartheid. Mr du Toit, 23, launched the party in 2003 and had been overwhelmed by support from across the racial divide. "Crime is really out of control in this country," Mr du Toit said. "We need to bring back the death penalty. It's not just about deterrence. It's also about justice. It's about speaking up for the people who are losing their lives under this Government every day." More than 20,000 people are murdered each year in South Africa, the second highest murder rate in the world after Colombia. In 1995 the Constitutional Court ruled that the death penalty was a violation of the right to life. "Yes, I know the death penalty was misused as a political weapon during the apartheid years, that's why it has such a bad reputation," Mr du Toit said. "But eventually we will have to move away from a situation where human rights are worth more than human life." During a recent Special Assignment documentary on the death penalty aired by the state broadcaster, a poll of viewers recorded more than 10,000 in favour of reinstating the death penalty while only about 1,000 were opposed.