De Kock presence offends whites, too

IFOUND “We don’t need liberal whites to speak for us” (May 22) extremely presumptuous as well as offensive. Writer Bongani Madondo assumes that all white people who felt offended by the presence of this evil man, Eugene de Kock, did so because “whiteness is immune to hearing us”.

I am white, I grew up in a so-called liberal household and was part of the “sexed-up” struggle that he so glibly refers to — and even worse, I am Afrikaans!

Do you, Mr Madondo, know that a number of white people were assassinated by the Civil Cooperation Bureau? Do you know that a number of white people were held in solitary confinement? Do you know that a number of white people were tortured by the likes of this man?

My family are among the victims of this evil man. However, I will never assume that I understand what the rest of my fellow South Africans had to endure. I will never be as presumptuous as you are in telling the world that we, as fellow human beings who also were affected by the horrors in this country, do not have the right to speak out.

I am not interested in the fact that De Kock “with dignity” served his time. If he is so dignified, how is it possible that he and his biographer repeatedly remind us that the rest of the evil clan never accounted for their deeds? If his time in jail truly served a purpose, he would say “I apologise” or “I am sorry”. Not “Poor me, I went to jail and they did not!” One does not repent with a “but”.

Neither he nor you have any idea of the hurt and destruction he caused.

So, Mr Madondo: yes, I found his presence offensive, and, yes, thank goodness for people like Lauren Beukes, who had the compassion for the suffering of others to confront him and ask him to leave. — Annaliese Lubowski, by e-mail

Find solutions together

IT is not only white liberals who should not speak for us; no one should speak on behalf of another.

Eugene de Kock and other agents of the former government — police, some doctors, magistrates, judges, homeland and self-governing state leaders and askaris — were the limbs of apartheid.

The falsely announced freedom was a strategy of securing positions, BEE deals and other opportunities for those called freedom fighters.

What is appropriate for all of us is to come together and try to bring workable solutions to the situation. — M Nqoro, Cape Town

No respect for rule of law

THE act of Minister Nosiviwe MapisaNqakula as reported in “Minister ‘smuggles’ friend in a state jet” (May 22) raises some interesting questions.

As a parent and someone who is concerned about (especially young) people’s safety and human rights, it is difficult to dish out criticism for the minister’s action from a moral point of view. Who doesn’t want to help someone in dire need of rescue?

However, she is not just a concerned parent, but also the defence minister. Morality aside, her actions appear to be an example of someone abusing her powers.

To break it down: the minister got to decide who was worthy of unlawful interventions without respect for the normal channels of diplomacy, good governance, common sense and, above all, the rule of law — not just in this country, but in the continental and international community. — Constitutionally Concerned Citizen, Johannesburg

Align law with compassion

WHEN a minster of state has to break the law in order to exercise compassion, there is something wrong with the law. Let us hope that Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula can use whatever influence she has to persuade her parliamentary colleagues to change it. — John Brodrick, Bedfordview

Solution to drug scourge

THANK you for “No one cares any more” (May 22). I work on the streets of Johannesburg, feeding the hungry where I can and teaching people to transform their lives.

I believe there is a solution to the drug problem in Goud Street and other streets of Joburg. We are not going to lose hope as a nation. — Ezekiel Semono, by e-mail

Forgiveness over revenge

“HOW racist mass killer milks the poor” (May 22) refers.

Louis van Schoor is making sure the farm is operating, based on his experience as a farmer, and others are able to learn a skill that is beneficial to the growth of black farmers in our country.

Once there was a man who had the power to destroy other souls, but that man chose forgiveness over revenge.

On that day that man broke the barrier that had destroyed the human race for years in our beloved country.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela taught us a lesson that we all benefited from, yet we deny ourselves the chance to learn and develop a skill from our fellow human being, based on the past.

Calling Van Schoor a racist killer who milks the poor seems shortsighted and the very thing Madiba taught us not to get stuck in.

Let us move forward and develop our beautiful country together and live happily. — P Zulu, by e-mail

Thanks for the lesson, Prof

“GRADUATING cum laude from school of hard knocks” (May 22) refers. Dankie, Professor Jonathan Jansen, for teaching us that the right road is not always the easy road. You will be missed. — Gustav Lindemann, University of the Free State alumnus, by e-mail