Atypical of the 16 SADC member states, Botswana is the only country that practices the death penalty. This puts us in the same league as Egypt, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Nigeria. Interestingly, the last execution in South Africa took place just over three decades ago, while the country was still swept by the vertiginous clutches of apartheid.
What about our country? The last execution took place in February this year and on average there is one execution per annum. Last week, abolitionists waited with bated breath for the Court of Appeal’s (CoA) verdict in the case of 42-year old Joseph Mmoko who was convicted last year for killing his girlfriend five years ago. They all heaved a euphoric huge sigh of relief as Mmoko survived the noose by a whisker when the supreme court of the land commuted his death sentence to a 15-year jail term. However, during the same week, the CoA tipped the scales in favour of the retentionists when 32-year old Wedu Mosalagae had his death sentence upheld for murdering his girlfriend close to eight years ago.
