President Thabo Mbeki's belief that crime is caused mainly by poverty is misleading to a certain extent and is not helping in any way in the fight against crime.

President Thabo Mbeki's belief that crime is caused mainly by poverty is misleading to a certain extent and is not helping in any way in the fight against crime.

In fact it gives criminals reason to go out and kill many innocent people.

We have reached the stage where we should desist from making excuses and tackle the problem head on. Crime is so out of control that we no longer need causes, but solutions. As an ordinary South African I see criminals as greedy people who don't want to work for their keep. Instead they want the easy way out.

We have scrap metal dealers, we have people who go through our dustbins and people who are doing jobs that are downright humiliating but they still walk tall because they make an honest living.

Maybe we need to change the mentality that more money equals success. In my book it's how you use the money you have rather than how much money you have.

You can ask our parents who, despite apartheid wages, still managed to produce educated children and still managed to feed and clothe their families.

Criminals are nothing but cowards and lazy idiots who cannot think anything worthwhile except killing innocent, hard-working and law-abiding citizens.

As for the causes of crime, they are many and varied but that is bad for the country.

Richardson Mzaidume Pimville Pimville