Kill minor rape assailants - Commission

The Commission revealed that during kgotla meetings that were held across the country on the Constitutional Review, there were views that those convicted of rape should be castrated or hanged. This social ill remains the country’s nightmare as women and girls live in deep fear of rapists and lovers causing them harm. Batswana also proposed that the death penalty should be extended to other crimes such as ‘passion killings’ and rape. There were concerns that the law is lenient on those who commit these types of crimes, whose victims are mostly women and children.

Responding to their views, the Commission noted proposals that there is an increase in GBV and that more severe penalties should be prescribed, such as emasculation of convicted rapists. Furthermore, it proposed that additional measures in particular emasculation of rape repeat offenders should be included in the Penal Code. The Commission recommended that the law should be amended to provide that repeat offenders accused of rape, defilement, murder, robbery and stock theft accused should not be released on bail. Batswana further submitted that a child friendly environment should be created to protect children.