ANC to Reconsider Death Penalty Ban

Faced with spiraling crime, Justice Minister Dullah Omar said the governing African National Congress, or ANC, will review its opposition to capital punishment. The decision drew cheers at an ANC summit on crime. The ANC has long opposed capital punishment, which the party believes was used under apartheid to oppress blacks, and a moratorium on hanging was made permanent after the ANC came to power in 1994. Any change in government policy would require a constitutional amendment. Most other parties in Parliament support restoring the death penalty.