Big gesture from small farmers is in the Mandela spirit

Many events during Mandela month give us hope that the spirit of Nelson Mandela lives on and that, if we try, South Africa can be a better place for all.

Conversely, many reduce Mandela month to commercial subterfuge. Advertisers give their brands traction by riding on the spirit of giving.

But it is the essence of giving that wins. My highlight of this year’s Mandela month was when Gauteng’s rural enterprise and industrial development unit asked a group of smallholder farmers that the department supports to sign a pledge to supply the Good Hope orphanage in Winterveld, Tshwane, with vegetables and other products for a year.

This gesture not only echoes Mandela’s lifelong and selfless commitment to assisting the less fortunate, but is an example that must encourage other organisations to utilise their beneficiaries to also contribute towards nation-building. Themba Mzula Hleko, Rosslyn Gardens

Nurses in need of critical care

I urge Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi to liberate nurses who have graduated from universities from impoverishment. We are living in poverty with our degrees.

It is a requirement for every professional nurse to perform remunerated community service for a year. After community service, nurses from colleges are given preference over university-trained nurses for permanent posts. This has become the norm in KwaZulu-Natal under the leadership of Sbongiseni Dhlomo.

We acquired our degrees through the assistance of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, the same money utilised to fund college students. Our right to equality has been violated.

The shortage of professional nurses is compromising healthcare. It is disheartening to hear one of our own say: “This woman bled to death because we are understaffed.”

How many more innocent lives are on the line, honourable minister?

Nkosinathi Shongwe, BTech nursing science

Deaths mean nothing to the ANC

I felt disgusted and sickened when I read that Qedani Mahlangu had been elected to the ANC’s Gauteng provincial executive committee.

This is the person who is primarily responsible for the deaths of more than 140 people — people who died of starvation, who died alone, who were among the most vulnerable in our society.

These deaths do not seem to matter to the person primarily responsible because she went ahead and stood for election. They do not seem to matter to Gauteng ANC members because they elected her. They do not seem to matter to the ANC leadership because they allowed her to stand. We do not need any more evidence that the ANC does not care for the people of this country.

Manfred Meyer, Scottburgh

Revolutionary details, please

I really enjoyed reading Julius Malema’s balderdash, “Land restoration began five years ago with the birth of the EFF” (July 22). His article is so riddled with carefully devised untruths that one is not surprised to note that polls give him but 10% of the vote in next year’s election. So, Julius, your bragging of building a colossus is pure and undiluted nonsense.

Malema threatens a “risk” of direct revolution, saying “our people will take the land by force” and the EFF will join in. I have two questions:

1. Tell us more about the revolution and how it aims to take the land by force. Do you foresee resistance? Will your revolutionaries kill those who resist?

2. Exactly what parts of “the land” are your revolutionaries planning to “take”? Does this include “taking” houses that are currently owned and occupied? What about successfully developed farms? And mines? And banks? And factories? And how will you then manage the booty?

Mr Colossus, you cannot fool all the people all the time.

Koos van der Merwe, Pretoria

No cause to celebrate

Should any sensible citizen be celebrating the EFF’s fifth birthday? If South Africa were to adopt their National Socialist policies, we would experience total nationalisation of banks, mines and other major industries.

Venezuela and Zimbabwe are way ahead of us with this outmoded dogma, including expropriation of land without compensation. These are two of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world, whose citizens have been voting with their feet for years by way of mass emigration.

Where will South Africans go to avoid a similar dose of economic destruction and misery, and who will suffer most? The poor masses who the EFF supposedly represents. Such hypocrisy.

David Lawson, St Lucia

It wasn’t Zuma on the RET track

Dear Ace Magashule, I am concerned that you may be suffering from an identity crisis. In your speech at the opening of the KwaZulu-Natal ANC conference, you were effusive in your praise of former president Jacob Zuma, making him sound like a great revolutionary leader who brought in radical economic transformation.

RET was not Zuma’s idea. It was produced by that discredited PR company from London that the Guptas hired to promote their interests. The Gupta family is still the greatest beneficiary of RET.

I challenge you, Ace, to go to the state capture commission and explain the wonders of RET. Also please inform the nation who it was that benefited from it. Paks Pakiriy, Durban North

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