Readers’ Views Pope Francis still has many more apologies on his list
POPE Francis certainly has been like a breath of fresh air, “Superpope Francis resurrects Catholics’ battered reputation” (March 16). However, before we get carried away, perhaps the pope might like to consider making the following public apologies:
To Galileo Galilei. I know the church did offer some sort of apology recently for forcing this great scientist to recant his correct view that the Earth and planets move around the sun. But, given that the Inquisition made his life a misery and he ended his days under house arrest, I think it is time a pope went on his knees and asked forgiveness for the treatment of this man and all the other scientists and humanists who attempted to shine a light into the dark heart of Roman Catholic dogma.
To all women. The church has treated them globally as second-class citizens, incapable of serving in any senior position in its hierarchy.
To all priests and children sexually abused by priests. Priests have been forced to live celibate lives without being able to act on the natural impulse to find a partner to marry and perhaps have children with. There is a link between this and the sexual abuse in the church.
To Catholics generally. They have been forced to pretend they don’t practise birth control, when many do. The church has also placed a massive burden on failed marriages. Get divorced, it says, and we wash our hands off you.
To the gay and transgender communities. Their treatment by the church has been shocking. — Kin Bentley, Port Elizabeth
Loving Zille despite everything
IF the Democratic Alliance or Helen Zille loved [Thabo] Mbeki, they could have joined the ANC [when he was in office] so that all positive effort could pull in one direction, “DA split over Zille’s take on Mbeki era” (March 16). Zille is pulling a lame politicking stunt, like the pretend idolisation of Mandela. She is just running short of singing Umshini Wami. She will do anything that is magnetic to a black vote. I love this desperate, clever woman, though. — Jedegwa IB, by e-mail
Dynamics of disability
CLAIRE Morgan’s “The child who wasn’t allowed to say ‘I can’t’ ” (March 16) is the first article I have read that gives a true and realistic reflection of who Oscar Pistorius was.
What his mother didn’t realise was that although she was treating him as normally as she thought possible, she never thought that this way of thinking was going to cause problems later in life.
What isn’t covered by the article is that the poor siblings growing up with this child are always “on guard” to assist and protect. The child grows up thinking they are in charge of everyone else and they believe that the world revolves around them. I come from a family in which we had a sister who was born without legs and she had control of the whole family. Living with these people is not easy. The other children in the home are always second best. Everyone’s life revolved around “the poor disabled one”.— Anonymous, by SMS
Inside Pistorius’s mind
I WANT to commend Morgan on her striking and insightful article. She appears to understand the psychology of someone who goes through life with some incapacity, having herself being born without a left hand.
Although it may still be a little premature to comment on what transpired that night, I do agree with what the evidence thus far has shown us of his character. Pistorius does appear to feel “impotent” and vulnerable without a gun, having had little time to mourn the loss of his limbs and instead having been made to overcome his disability by being normal. Not only has he had to overcome it, but he has tried (successfully) to prove that he
Shallow to care about colour
I READ the article “A (yellow) bone to pick” (March 16) with a tired feeling, because I thought it was a well-known fact that some black people are not happy with their complexions.
Do I blame them for feeling this way? I don’t know, because I never have. To me, it shows how shallow one can be. One’s complexion is informed by one’s genes. Why would one want to be lighter than one’s genetic make-up?
I have never experienced such, never been surrounded by people who so lack self-esteem. That is why I feel this debate about skin colour is so frivolous. — Siyanda Nkundla, Cape Town
Article gave me self-esteem
ALL my friends are light-skinned. I am the only one who is dark. I always thought I was not good enough or not light enough, but after reading this article I feel great about myself. I would just like to say thank you for changing my mind. I will not be buying any skinlightening cream. — NN, by e-mail can be better than normal. He is a champion and a hero. But that doesn’t negate the fact that he doesn’t have normal legs.
And that must count for something. This is not the case of a normal man who is aggressive and gun-happy. This is the case of a man who, in the dead of night, must feel vulnerable and scared when he has to “clobber around with his stumps”, as she emotively describes it.
Part of me wants to redeem our hero, to uncover the story that there must have been some tragic mistake in all this. — Dominique Malherbe, by e-mail
Dire detectives
I’M so glad that I don’t have to make use of our police services. Pistorius could get off lightly because our police and forensics haven’t done their job, “Roux puts it to the cops: you guys botched forensics” (March 16). I am just so gobsmacked by their lazy, casual attitude. For the first time, I’m really ashamed of our investigative authorities. — S Schumann, Springs
Cause for hope
FOR the first time since our battle with rhino poaching started in earnest do I see some light at the end of the tunnel. Well done to the Mambas, “Girl power to the rescue of Kruger’s threatened rhino” (March 16). Where can we contribute to a very deserving cause that is at grassroots level? Get all moms involved and you teach the children. — Sandra, by e-mail
Make politicians accountable
I WISH to share my views on the column by Barney Mthombothi, “Party-list iniquity the unfinished business of our democracy” (March 16). It is so true that the current electoral system is not good for South Africa.
It is those who make a lot of noise who make it into parliament. I cannot agree more that we need to get political office bearers to be accountable to the masses and not their political employers.
As for those comrades who sacrificed their lives to free this country, it is so sad to note that the majority die as paupers. These cadres were never in the limelight, but they made immense contributions to liberate our country. — Mahoshani Joseph Makwakwa, Centurion
Don’t blame the coach
I HAVE been a South African from birth — long enough for me to understand how much it means to be one. We are like a snake crawling into its hole while it leaves its head to strike anyone who thinks he can grab its tail. When Gordon Igesund beat Spain, we praised him, and when he was beaten by Brazil, we were the first to change. Before we can compare ourselves with Brazil, let our governing body plan
No beauty in ‘fake’ Africans
I AM an African man. I see beauty in [Oscar Winner] Lupita Nyong’o and others like her, not in those who wear fake hair and skin colour. They don’t look like Africans. — Mazondi, Mahikeng these games without compromising the teams these players play for.
It feels like the Premier Soccer League and the South African Football Association are two countries that are competing to be the best tourist destination. Brazil do not struggle to have their players available for a national game, but we have to fight with Kaizer Chiefs, Pirates and Sundowns for players.
Remember that the bread and butter for these players are the clubs and not the national team. Our coach has no resources; he first has to fight with the local teams before his fight with the opponents.
We must stop giving coaches mandates of six to 12 months and give them threeyear mandates, then give them all the resources they need and plan with them rather than against them. — Cyril Xikombiso Chauke, by e-mail
ANC list is an insult
IT is a slap in the face for millions of ANC members for the integrity committee to willy-nilly foist corrupt individuals on us, even if their cases are still pending in the courts or, for that matter, are still just allegations, “Sad farewell to ANC heroes as scoundrels are welcomed back” (March 16). What do they all smoke in the integrity committee? Whatever it is it must be highly infectious for all members to agree to put the future fortunes of the people’s movement at such risk for the sake of misguided and tainted individuals. — ANC member, by SMS
Branches have no say
TO say that branches are responsible for the ANC list is a blue lie. If that is the case, we would have names from our branches. The list in our province [Eastern Cape] comes cut and dried from Calata House. — J M Mpanga, Adelaide
Diepkloof housing on track
“MTHETHWA ‘lied to hostel people’ ” (March 2) refers. The commitment to the residents of Diepkloof Hostel after a visit by Nathi Mthethwa and other ANC leaders on February 8 was that leaders from the city legislature would hold a public meeting on February 16 to provide feedback on the introduction of the contractor who is to construct about 200 temporary units. The completion of the temporary units is expected by the end of this month.
Once the temporary units have been assembled, the process of relocating those occupying dilapidated units will commence. All these matters were reported to the community and the meeting agreed to the process that has to be followed. The project began on time on February 10. — Solly Mogase, City of Johannesburg
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