Unlike Trump, fear is not key to EFF
IBEG to differ with Tony Leon’s “With Trump, as with Malema, fear is the key to poll success” (February 28). Donald Trump, the Republican wannabe US president who says “we’re going to knock out ISIS” and “we’ll fill up Guantánamo prison”, cannot be compared with Julius Malema, commander-in-chief of the EFF.
Leon was writing about Trump and his shocking successes so far in the race for the White House. He should have left it at that and omitted Malema and the EFF.
But then it was Leon, leader of the DA at the time, who took umbrage at former president Thabo Mbeki for telling parliament that South Africa was made up of two nations — one black and one white, one poor and one rich.
And it is this truth that makes Malema and the EFF so relevant for the future of South Africa.
Show me one South African who voted for the EFF in the past and who will vote for the EFF in the future who is doing that out of fear, as suggested by Leon.
No one sleeps in parliament anymore because the EFF is there holding the ruling party accountable. Nkandla is famous not because of the DA or any other party. It is because of “Malema’s expletive outrage”, to use Leon’s words. Politically, South Africa is better off than it would be without the EFF. — Dr Neo Lekgotla laga Ramoupi, Hammanskraal
Tangled with wrong crowd
IN “UNTANGLING the tedious tango of varsity life” (February 28), Carlos Amato writes that “rugby thugs added a toxic dose of racial violence to the moment”. I believe that he was being very economical with the truth.
The fact is that a large number of rugby fans had paid good money to exercise their right to watch a game of rugby, when a mob of hooligans abused their right to protest by breaking down the gates of the stadium and invading the field while the game was in progress.
The spectators, as might be expected, took offence at this blatant disregard of their rights and forcibly removed the hooligans. That the opposing sides were from different race groups is immaterial. — Mitch Launspach, Mogale City
Got rid of all the knots
CARLOS Amato’s sensitivity and perspective, combined with pointed writing, rendered “Untangling the tedious tango of varsity strife” (February 28) essential reading. Would that we had more mature heads around the debates like this. Bravo! — Robert van Beers, by email
Anglican model for change
THANK you for the interview with Archbishop Thabo Makgoba — “Church welcomes gay couples but still refuses marriages rites” (February 28) — with regard to the response of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa and the question of affirming those in civil unions.
I would want to speak of same-gender unions rather than “sex” and want to point out that as Anglicans we have already made adjustments to our teaching on marriage which now allows for the remarriage of divorced persons.
What prevents the Anglican Church from taking the same stance with regard to faithful members, which would allow them to celebrate their civil unions with family and fellow parishioners in their local church? — Rowan Q Smith, Goodwood
Bible bashes constitution
THE only constitution the church has is the Bible. The bishops of the churches should uphold the word of God above the country’s constitution.
It’s a pity that the clergy are caught in the great controversy.
Judging from Romans 1, God does not force anyone to worship Him, but can abandon you if you follow your own lustful desires rather than His commandments. I wish these bishops would wake up and preach the truth of God, rather than compromise it to suit people’s needs. — Fakazi Nkosi, Soweto
Time to take a step back
REGARDING “Syria’s gallery of grief” (February 28). Would it be possible to gather “wise men of the world”— historians, philosophers and international lawyers — and go back to the drawing board post-World War 1? Let every country present its case and grievances.
Gather an impartial judiciary in The Hague and let them rule on as
Live too fast, die young
IT is with great trepidation that I read in “Kings of Speed” (February 28) that Kagiso Rabada is an adrenaline junkie and wants a fast car such as a Nissan GT-R. He is now an ambassador for Nissan but, interestingly enough, does not even have a driver’s licence.
It seems that people have short memories. We have lost a number of soccer players whose talent for playing (and earning vast sums of money) exceeded their talent for handling powerful cars.
Giving a powerful car to a recently qualified driver is as good as a death wish. I hope some sanity prevails in this instance, particularly as it would not enhance Nissan’s image to be associated with reckless fast driving. Audi near a fair deal for all as possible.
There seems to be no way forward at the moment. — Cecilia Wedgwood, Highlands North
Tambo on target
DALI Tambo hit the nail on the head in “In my family there are three colours: black, white and my four golden brown children” (February 14). The point to highlight is where he says “Spoken racism no longer evokes anger in me. It is systemic racism that provokes me.”
The best example of systemic racism is the continued marginalisation of blacks in the still supremely white mining industry, especially in the Northern Cape.
Black employees were called baboons at AfriSam in Kimberley and there has been no final word on whether the five accused, who admitted guilt, have been dismissed.
I informed the National Union of Mineworkers and Cosatu that whites were treated differently to blacks when it came to disciplinary issues.
However, it would appear that labour unions recognise and tackle racism only when it is spoken.
This despite the fact that systemic racism is evident through lack of transformation in management and companies’ lack of compliance with social labour plans.
We need to take a stand against systemic racism otherwise there will learnt that lesson a few times.
I strongly believe that no under-25s should be allowed to be in control of a car that has more than 125kW.— Tony Ball, Durban never be economic freedom, let alone equality for blacks.— Loyiso Mpeta, by email
Where’s the forgiveness?
BARNEY Mthombothi’s “Rampant campus anarchy shows up Zuma’s leadership failure” (February 28) proves one thing. It is a clear manifestation of a calculated, sinister campaign by the powers that be in South African print media to do away with the Zuma presidency.
His blind rage is reflective of the fact that when it comes to Zuma the media is not forgiving.
Zuma has never been forgiven for the dismissed rape charge and for the dismissed corruption charge by the National Prosecution Authority.
The Nkandla debacle, Guptagate and the Marikana massacre provide ammunition for attempts to dismiss him as president yet Zuma remains the last man standing. — Chief Mokhele, Vereeniging