Racism will be with us for ever. We cannot run away from it.

Racism will be with us for ever. We cannot run away from it.

We should respect each other's rights as guaranteed in the Constitution.

I say this after the hullabaloo caused by some white journalists who tried to attend an off-the-record briefing of black journalists by ANC president Jacob Zuma on Friday.

What these white journalists should do is convene their own meeting with Zuma or whoever they fancy.

In the past Zuma met with Steve Hofmeyer and others to discuss white South Africans' fears and expectations.

There was no noise at all about that meeting. It was a whites only meeting and black journalists had no problem with that.

Zuma was even exclusively interviewed by the Afrikaans DeKat magazine and the silence about what he said in that magazine was deafening.

I am surprised that the Forum of Black Journalists is accused of wrongdoing. Why is everything done by blacks questioned?

The meeting was publicised and white journalists knew they were not welcome, so they went there to bully their way in. The forum's strict chairman, Abbey Makoe, told them where to get off.

There have been many off record meetings. Who can forget the clandestine briefing of senior black journalists by former Scorpions head Bulelani Ngcuka years ago?

Joseph Kgomo, Tshwane