Don’t sweep offensive words under carpet

ICANNOT agree more with what Fred Khumalo is saying in his article, “Who’s fooling whom? Why tiptoe around the ‘K’ word?” (October 9). I get furious whenever I see “kaffir” written as “k ***** ” or as the “K word”.

I once brought this same debate to Xhosa-language experts. Although my point of departure was from the linguistics point of view, it was based on the same facts; asking why we cannot write the word in full.

Why should we subject ourselves to the humiliation of our profession as linguists by supporting this nonsense of “k ***** ” when referring to the word “kaffir”?

Khumalo has just said it all, from the religious, historic origin of the term to its use in apartheid and postapartheid South Africa. As the origin of the term is religious, anyone can be a “kaffir”, including white people.

It was nonsense and foolhardy behaviour of the white racists to associate the term with a particular skin colour.

The term will continue to exist in our vocabulary, no matter who says what. It will only be “k ***** ” in the minds of those who prioritise nonsense politics at the expense of language and other social issues such as preserving our history and heritage. Near Mount Fletcher, for example, there is a Xhosa village called Kaffersleg — “eKafilslerha”. No matter how the name came up, to the community of that area, “Kafilslerha” is the name of their village.

If we continue to allow this nonsense of referring to the word “kaffir” as “k ***** ” or the “K word”, our next generation will never know the truth about it.

It will forever be the shameful term to refer to black people, and referring to it like this will forever be stupidly trying to be polite to black people as if they are indeed kaffirs.

We can never correct the injustices of the past by hiding them under the carpet. We need to talk about them and correct our misunderstandings so that we can be a healthy-minded society in our lifetime in this country. — Xolisa Tshongolo, Cape Town

Make distance learning free

“ANGST fills students on the brink of graduation” (October 9) refers.

Why doesn’t the government make Unisa tuition free from next year?

Invest heavily in e-learning and in lessons on YouTube? Hold monthly workshops across the country, on Saturdays and Sundays? Invest in the calibre and quality of lecturers at Unisa. — Emile van der Walt

It’s not just black and white

“ONLY white tears will move establishment on student demands” (October 9) by Panashe Chigumadzi refers.

How quickly the good story of a united student corps has changed since 2015. Chigumadzi chooses to present an overly simplified view of an indifferent white public, students and staff on the one hand, and the long-ignored black public, students and staff on the other, using the easy and polarising rhetoric that is so popular these days.

I am not sure where Chigumadzi’s perception that people don’t or didn’t care about the closure of homelandbased universities comes from. The media reports are there for anybody to read. I was a white academic at one of the so-called HBUs, and the closure of campuses was as traumatising to my colleagues and me then as they are now at a so-called former white university. The waste of time, the intimidation, the reckless games with people’s future remain the same.

That Chigumadzi should trivialise what is happening now with a whiteblack binary may satisfy populists, but it is, to my mind, a cheap shot. — C van der Walt, Stellenbosch

We can do fracking better

“FRACK off and leave our land alone!” (October 9) refers.

The promise of 700 000 jobs is very attractive — but polluted water will destroy human, animal and plant life.

South Africa is so lucky to have sun inland for solar power, and wind along the coast for wind farms. We do not need to destroy our country; work will be available on these clean options. — Jacqui, Parklands

Saluting Zille — and media

“VINDICATED by history” (October 9) refers. As young South Africans living in a free, democratic country, there is one thing that demands respect from all of us enjoying it today. Through books and newspapers we learn how history unfolded back then. We know that lives were lost but the manner in which they were lost will only be

Dilemma of euthanasia

“TUTU’s final struggle” (October 9) refers. The universe is faced with new forms of illness that come with unbearable physical pain. If a person is confronted with such illness, one view will be that the person deserves to die to avoid suffering.

The main dilemma will be when a person decides that today I’m tired of living and just want to die. The law will have to determine who is deserving. Religiously, it will be immoral to end the life.

There will always exist a problem in terms of how to justify the death of another human being. Human life is significant in that other family members might still be attached and require the applicant to continue with life. — MP Ntimana, by e-mail

Reward in suffering

A CHRISTIAN should find “beauty” in suffering and looking after a terminally ill friend or relative. It is at times painful and traumatic to witness a relative writhing in pain, but when the end finally comes it is satisfying to look back and say at least we tried and showed love.

I am perplexed by a man of the cloth supporting abortion, assisted suicide, prostitution, fornication, adultery, same-sex sex — things proscribed in the Bible and anathema to revealed through books and newspapers. That piece from Helen Zille’s book is something else. In closing, we salute the media. — Thuthuka M, by e-mail

Man U are no, um, All Blacks

I REFER to the picture of Sir Alex Ferguson that went with the story “Walking among giants” (October 9).

The caption was “Not even close: Alex Ferguson was knighted for his prowess as coach, but even his Manchester United may pale in comparison to the All Blacks”.

I had a good chuckle. How can you compare the New Zealand national rugby side to a local England football side? — Patrick M Bomberg, Helderkruin

Just a media conspiracy

“ANC changes tune on Nkandla, Thuli” (October 2) refers. The Sunday Times descended into far-fetched PERPLEXING VIEWS: Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu a person worthy of the title Christian. Atheists, existentialists, agnostics et cetera have no law and are at liberty to support anything. — Erick Mhlanga, Thohoyandou

Don’t deny people’s right

I’M a humanist counsellor in Belgium, assisting people who ask for euthanasia. My experience tells me it is a humane act. A doctor assisting the final request of a person in need of humanity is enabling their need to avoid unnecessary suffering by losing one’s dignity.

The act is sad but also full of hope and gratitude. Finally, if you do not favour the act of euthanasia, please do not deny those people whose wish is to die with dignity and without pain! Give people the right to choose. — Harry Buyl, Antwerp conspiracy theories to perplexingly conclude the three-day lekgotla, held to reinvigorate and strengthen the movement’s work in parliament, represented some sort of a “quiet revolt” by “the anti- Zuma faction”.

The unanimous consensus emerging out of the lekgotla is that it shall no longer be business as usual; the ANC in parliament must regain the moral high ground, vigorously advance clean governance and shun incompetence. — ANC caucus spokesman Moloto Mothapo, by e-mail