Solidarity delivers anti-crime letters to Zuma

Well we could all write a book on this topic………….

Your safety minister recently stated that farm murders are not political and that all murders are treated the same.

February 16, about 23 000 letters failed when Presidency officials refused to accept them.

Just recently your president gave his personal guarantee that South Africa was safe for WC visitors as well as the safety minister stating that South Africa will be safe from June 11th.

Today there is a headline that 136 000 letters are delivered in 10 wheel barrows to your president "This reaction shows how strongly South Africans feel about crime. Crime affects everyone in South Africa," Hermann said.

SO what is it ? – the goalposts seem to shift on a daily basis.

Personally I hope that the next load of letters will be delivered to FIFA in a wheelbarrow.

As true South Africans we should show unity to fight this , the single biggest threat facing the future of our country.Come let us forget our differences when we fight crime together .

@Andy, the FIFA President Sepp Blatter made a succinct comment when he lamented on crime and the attitudes of some south africans. He cannot believe the concerted campaign AGAINST South Africa, using crime as a mainstream issue. In fact, he found the unpatriotic attitude of certain South Africans unbelievable and here he includes media as part of that section.

Crime is horrendous and debillitating. It affects all of us on a daily basis. It could even be suggested that concerns around crime is the 'nervous tick' of many marginalised community and rightfully so. But to suggest that we offload these letters to FIFA is nothing short of right-wing opportunism which seeks to promote a very narrow agenda.

Somebody was saying they hope they are not reporting crime to criminals. But it's a fact that JZ is jumping from one flop to another and I wonder if he'll ever get a chance to look into issues affecting this country. Our president has shown poor sense of judgement in ("corrupt relationship with the convicted Shaik"; sleeping with an HIV positive friend's daughter without protection; fathering too many children out of wedlock - remember even those that he later married were initially impregnated out of wedlock; the non-disclosure of assets). He will spend his term putting out fires around his personal conduct.

So what was the objective? To make the Gov aware of crime?? They are VERY aware of it. The entire world is aware of it. These letters are just going to be burned. Something far more purposeful needs to be done. We need to actually tackle crime, fight the gangsters, blow them away, as the head of police has said. So when the hell are we going to see more of that.

Paul Volker

In my opinion the march on your president’s office today, represents a strong symbolic action, which will get the necessary media coverage and exposure. It will have an impact, however small.

The mere fact your president, accepted the letters, shows an enormous victory for the demonstrators and those affected by crime. It also sends out a warning to criminals.

In the US the "broken windows" theory, has been translated into, and is often seen to be synonymous with, "zero tolerance" policy. The theory holds that such things as broken windows left unrepaired, trash not picked up, and toleration of "offensive" behavior are "signals" which indicate that people in the neighborhood don't care. The result is that a neighborhood deteriorates, and crime increases.

The solution proposed, basically, is strict police enforcement of "quality of life" crimes, like littering and public drinking, that typically have gone unenforced.

Your law enforcement agencies should adopt and implement the policy, even for a short period of time, and establish any positive results. They may just be surprised. I call the policy the no BS policy. Ask questions later.

See you all in June

Regards

Harry Callahan
San Francisco

07;20 [pst]

Kitty,

You seem to assume a lot.

I am not writing from a South African perspective, I am writing as someone living in Europe, the heart of football and understand the marketing drives here that are trying to encourage football fans to go to South Africa for the WC.

I have no doubt that Blattsky preaches all that good stuff from his safe Swiss office, which is easy.

I am entitled to suggest that the crime letters be offloaded to FIFA as they have approved a country with 85 (Dan Root) murders a day. You may also be interested to know that FIFA has a reputation in Europe that has earned them a nickname of “mafia”. I have no doubt that you and FIFA will be shocked that anything of the sort be suggested and I have no doubt you will quickly pin the oh so common labels

Racialist
Right Wing
Nazi

All in the name of defending what you know very well to be wrong.

With regards to narrow minded I would say you need to consider your views regarding the WC, do you really think that overseas folk will accept just being slaughtered for a mobile phone or some item of jewellery?

This may be acceptable in South Africa but NOT where I live.

If you wish I could continue with the whole list of babies being slaughtered for voodoo and and and.

If you feel that the reality of all that happening in YOUR back yard is acceptable environment to play host to unsuspecting overseas visitors I would say you are the one with an AGENDA.

@Andy Campbell: Bravo! You make so much sense (an attribute so lacking in a number of other contributors here). Defending the indefensible just doesn't make sense from anyone. Every South African whatever their agenda should be taking this scourge seriously to support any efforts to combat it.

@ Mabandla: You have identified a whole series of of issues at the root of the problem; that is, neglecting important national issues. Very intelligent observation.

-Joe Manyoni, Canada.