Death penalty: morality or immorality?

A ruthless and callous criminal chops off the head of a 5 year old girl, harvest all the organs for ritualistic purposes. The criminal is caught and confesses to even more such vile acts and shows no remorse for such. Is there any other justifiable punishment other than death for such a merciless murderer? The proponents of the death penalty will argue that it is morally justified as it serves as an example for others and is the only possible ending of the worst of the worst in our society. Is the death penalty virtually the same as murder? Those for the death penalty will argue that murder is the killing of innocent and defenceless victims and the death penalty is the only fitting punishment for these people who commit such horrendous murders. But then who decides who lives or dies? Those opposed to the death penalty will argue that by killing the murderer that in itself is encouraging crime. Society has a moral obligation to protect human life, not end it. We have come a long way as humans to resort to an eye-for-eye principle. Justice Minister Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa has declined to sign the death warrants of 97 death-row inmates citing the immorality of the practice. But then the country’s new Constitution has provisions for the death penalty under Part 2, Section 48. But does everyone not have the right to life? But then these are the dilemmas that face our morally conscious society and there are no clear-cut answers

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