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The DA applauds the increased sentences handed down by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on Sheryl Cwele and Frank Nabolisa for drug dealing.

The conclusion of the judgment states that “the effects of their deeds on the community at large far outweigh their personal circumstances and justify a long term of imprisonment”. We whole-heartedly agree.

In our view, the SCA's judgment sends out two important messages. The first is that the courts are getting tough with drug dealers. This is as it should be. Drugs have caused massive devastation, particularly amongst poorer communities in South Africa, and have disrupted families, schools and churches. It is entirely appropriate that the source of this misery – the drug dealers – should be dealt with in the harshest way possible.

The second message delivered by the SCA is that no-one is above the law, however well-connected they may be. This is a useful and timely antidote to the cynicism of the public that there appears to be one law for the rich and politically connected (such as Schabir Shaik and Tony Yengeni) and another for ordinary citizens.