My reaction to your front-page story of February 5, "Barbaric", was shock, anger, and concern.
My reaction to your front-page story of February 5, "Barbaric", was shock, anger, and concern.
This is one of countless acts of brutality and criminality that have driven me to despair. Despair that our government is aware of our suffering and brutalisation, but is not doing enough. Our politicians lack sympathy, care and empathy. Political will is needed to stamp out crime, along with resources.
Our constitution values human dignity, the advancement of human rights and freedoms. The Bill of Rights guarantees our human dignity, life, freedom and security. We are guaranteed the right to be free from all forms of violence. But without freedom from violence, none of the rights in the constitution are worth the paper they are written on.
By not protecting Thato Radebe, the government has failed her. Thato's killers and other criminals act with brazen confidence, knowing they can get away. Only swift arrests, prosecutions and harsh sentencing, as with the David Rattray case, will deter criminals.
The government must stop making citizens feel that we are responsible for crime. The police are responsible because they fail in their duties. We can only report or provide limited intelligence.
It is nonsense to say that only poor and disadvantaged people have a sense of security, and the rest are whingers. The president and the safety and security minister must show more enthusiasm and will to fight crime.
Gcina Malindi, Parkview
State not serious about crime
My reaction to your front-page story of February 5, "Barbaric", was shock, anger, and concern.
My reaction to your front-page story of February 5, "Barbaric", was shock, anger, and concern.
This is one of countless acts of brutality and criminality that have driven me to despair. Despair that our government is aware of our suffering and brutalisation, but is not doing enough. Our politicians lack sympathy, care and empathy. Political will is needed to stamp out crime, along with resources.
Our constitution values human dignity, the advancement of human rights and freedoms. The Bill of Rights guarantees our human dignity, life, freedom and security. We are guaranteed the right to be free from all forms of violence. But without freedom from violence, none of the rights in the constitution are worth the paper they are written on.
By not protecting Thato Radebe, the government has failed her. Thato's killers and other criminals act with brazen confidence, knowing they can get away. Only swift arrests, prosecutions and harsh sentencing, as with the David Rattray case, will deter criminals.
The government must stop making citizens feel that we are responsible for crime. The police are responsible because they fail in their duties. We can only report or provide limited intelligence.
It is nonsense to say that only poor and disadvantaged people have a sense of security, and the rest are whingers. The president and the safety and security minister must show more enthusiasm and will to fight crime.
Gcina Malindi, Parkview