It is with great sadness that I write this letter to the most powerful man in southern Africa.

It is with great sadness that I write this letter to the most powerful man in southern Africa.

Mr President, ours is not just "a concern".

Crime has riddled this country to the extent that even the criminals are puzzled by the fact that it is so easy to commit crime.

It is a holocaust.

Mr President, with all the respect you command - from Morocco to Madagascar, from Cape to Cairo, from Washington to Sydney - please declare a state of emergency on crime . Crime is iniquitous, hence the local and international outcry.

I received a call this week from my cousin, who lives in the UK. He says he has never been so embarrassed to be a South African. He told me that several British newspapers were lambasting the crime rate here , and that nothing is being done to save the situation. He said one newspaper went on to describe South Africa as a haven for hardened criminals.

Mr President, the majority of South Africans would like to see our government committing itself to eradicating two horrendous killers - HIV-Aids and crime.

Let us categorise crime with HIV and Aids, and fight these two venomous beasts.

Mr President, please let democracy be the winner at the end of the day.

May God give you strength to make this country a crime-free zone.

Thapelo Malao, CenturionPretoria