Giving licence to mass murderers

I researched the case laws referred to by Prof André Thomashausen, whose op-ed you published regarding whether South Africa successfully crossed the threshold in establishing prima facie genocidal intent on the part of Israel. I leave the jurisprudence to those 17 eminent jurists tasked with that determination.

Is South Africa’s case weak?

No. Trust me. Though I’m no expert, I have a passion for comparative law research. My starting point was the Nuremberg Principles from whence the Genocide Convention of 1948 took its cue. I am no Thomashausen but I am passionate against racism, which crowns the abomination of genocide like that crown of thorns that Jesus’s tormentors placed on his head. Its peremptory provision was abundantly covered by Adila Hassim SC and Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC and given its context by professors John Dugard and

Max du Plessis.

So what is retired professor Thomashausen going on about? I find it annoying and irritating. There is a need to combat terrorism in the form of genocide, and by looking away these carping critics like Thomashausen don’t realise how they grant licence to mass murderers who use the law to justify their crimes.

If international law fails, terrorism comes galloping in its wake. Saber Ahmed Jazbhay, Ethekwini

DA the only party worth voting for Analysts say the future of our country’s politics will depend on coalition agreements, but I say it is a waste of time. Forget about the smaller parties and rather vote for a larger established party that has experience of running municipalities and provinces. The ANC has had its chance and messed up completely. The only other party that has a track record is the DA and it is doing a reasonably good job of running the Western Cape and a few other municipalities in the country.

Smaller new parties are mainly started by politicians who were kicked out of well-established parties because of corruption, incompetence, ill-discipline and, to a lesser extent, disagreements. Some are former convicts or criminals and others await their day in court. Many have cash flow problems and need to feed their extravagant lifestyles — that’s why they are back in politics.

Then there are those marvelling at Rise Mzanzi and some might even jump ship to it, but it has no track record and no experience. We have seen what havoc smaller parties have unleashed in coalitions in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Gqeberha. Some are only out there to push their own personal agendas and line their pockets. My advice to voters is to vote for the DA and give it a clear mandate for five years — it might just be better than the 30 years of poverty, corruption and mismanagement we have had under ANC rule. Some people are concerned that they might bring back apartheid, but remember we have a constitution that protects us. So our rights can’t be taken away.

J Hendricks, Bellville

Stand your ground, David Teeger

David Teeger, you have been dealt a foul and cruel blow. By Cricket SA.

Don’t go away, like all the Malans, Labuschagnes, Pietersens, Elgars and many more. Stand your ground.

Don’t concede. Show what a mensch is (a fine person of character).

We are committed Jews and committed South Africans. They will not break us ... Bernard Herman, Oudtshoorn

Safa is failing SA football

I wore my Bafana football shirt all day on Tuesday, as we wear our Springbok shirts on Bok Friday. Despite the kick-off at 10pm SA time, I stayed up past my bedtime to watch the whole match; you see, I am a supporter of our national teams, in particular football and rugby.

How disappointed I was with the result, commentary and 2-0 loss to Mali.

With the exception of the Mali goalkeeper, the starting team for Mali all play club football in Europe. There is not one European-based player in the Bafana squad, let alone the starting XI. (It must be noted that the vast majority of the Banyana squad play overseas.)

As an aside, the commentators were putrid and out of their depth; you would’ve sworn they were watching a different game. But back to Bafana...

The South African Football Association does not have a national nursery system for football; it does not know how to recognise talent; it does not have schools of excellence; nor does it have partnerships with European associations to allow local talent to be identified and nurtured overseas. Most African football nations have these channels and relationships so as to develop their football from the ground level.

The president of Safa, Danny Jordaan, has been in the position since 2013 and has little to show for anything positive related to football.

Safa’s failure to put into place grassroots conveyor belts of football talent is at the heart of the continual failure of Bafana. Apartheid cannot be blamed, nor can the quota system. Springbok rugby is a perfect example of how grassroots rugby is developed, which ultimately led to the Springboks being back-to-back world champions.

Safa has failed and continues to fail South African football. Gordon Upton, Nelson Mandela Bay