Kempton Park vigil puts ANCYL death penalty call back in focus

ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji joined hundreds of residents in Kempton Park on Tuesday night as the league’s call to bring back the death penalty returned to the spotlight.

Residents, runners and political party supporters marched through Rhodesfield to the Kempton Park Police Station on 15 September before lighting candles in memory of murdered runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo.

Hundreds of women took part in the march as the community demanded justice and stronger action against violence targeting women. Malatji also joined the procession.

Moselakgomo, 38, disappeared after leaving her home for a run. Her family later identified her body after police found her in Rhodesfield.

Her murder comes as police investigate the deaths of several women across Ekurhuleni.

ANCYL WANTS DEATH PENALTY BACK

In December 2025, Malatji told the ANCYL’s national conference that the league wanted the death penalty for people who rape women and kill children.

He had already raised the issue months earlier.

Speaking at an ANC Women’s League rally in Khayelitsha in January 2025, Malatji called for South Africa to consider restoring capital punishment for people convicted of raping children.

“Those who rape children, maybe a death penalty must be brought back for them,” he said.

The ANCYL has therefore pushed the death penalty as part of its response to serious crimes against women and children.

ANGER GROWS OVER EKURHULENI KILLINGS

Tuesday night’s vigil followed growing fear and anger over the discovery of women’s bodies in Kempton Park and surrounding parts of Ekurhuleni.

Police have deployed a multidisciplinary team to determine whether investigators can link the cases.

SAPS has not confirmed claims that a serial killer is operating in the area and continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The ANC also issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the killings and calling on police to urgently identify and arrest those responsible.

CAN SOUTH AFRICA BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY?

South Africa abolished the death penalty after the Constitutional Court ruled it unconstitutional in the landmark S v Makwanyane judgment in 1995.

Any attempt to restore capital punishment would therefore face major constitutional and legal hurdles.

For residents who filled the streets of Rhodesfield on Tuesday night, however, the immediate focus remained Moselakgomo.

They marched, prayed and lit candles in her memory while demanding answers over her murder and the other deaths now under police investigation.