Zimbabwe: Death Sentence Must Be A Thing Of the Past Says Minister

Zimbabwe’s justice minister Emerson Mnangagwa says he will seek to influence the scrapping of the death penalty in the country, saying it should have been abolished a long time ago, a newzimbabwe.com report said on Friday.

Mnangagwa, who was once sentenced to death during the Smith regime after being arrested for involvement in the liberation struggle, said he did not believe in the penalty and that life should not be taken away “deliberately”. 

Zimbabwe’s new constitution exempts from execution women and males below 17 years and those over 70 years of age.