Ordinarily, we would not respond to letters to the editor, no matter how critical they are of us. That is not because we are dismissive of our readers, but rather because we accept that there will always be different points of view on what we publish.

Ordinarily, we would not respond to letters to the editor, no matter how critical they are of us. That is not because we are dismissive of our readers, but rather because we accept that there will always be different points of view on what we publish.

We have decided to suspend this tradition to deal with the plethora of complaints received regarding our decision to run a story on Lehlohonolo Damoyi's suicide.

As we have said previously, we take no pleasure in causing unnecessary pain. We live in the same communities as our readers. Your concerns regarding culture and tradition are our concerns. That is why we do not take lightly the decisions we as reporters and editors make. We know that our reporters are hardworking and claim no easy victories.

We carry the letters not because we doubt the professional integrity of our reporters, but because we believe that you as a reader are as entitled to the same freedoms of expression as we who work for the newspaper.

In Damoyi's case, it should be remembered that she had led a public life and her unfortunate death had therefore left many of her admirers wondering why she had gone as far as she did. It is our duty and responsibility as a newspaper to share with our readers any information that answers a question that many of us ask privately or publicly. - Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya, Editor