I am a white Afrikaner, and currently work in the United Kingdom. I was appalled when the news broke about the actions of four brainless individuals against their fellow South Africans at the University of Free State.

I am a white Afrikaner, and currently work in the United Kingdom. I was appalled when the news broke about the actions of four brainless individuals against their fellow South Africans at the University of Free State.

One of your contributors wrote, "such actions have no place in South Africa", but I want to say such actions have no place anywhere in the world!

The four students obviously have no concept of human dignity, and there is no way to excuse what they did. Their racist actions should be punished for two reasons.

Firstly, for its blatant criminality and, secondly, for the fact that they have brought to shame all white South Africans, especially the Afrikaners , who work so hard to embrace fellow black South Africans. They have undone so much of the change we have worked for.

I would like to see these guys tied to a lamppost and flogged, but that would make me just as savage as they are.

A more appropriate solution would be to give them community service in the poorest townships, so that they are forced to live and work with the less fortunate, and see for themselves the warm humanity that often exists in those deprived areas.

If they do not want to change, then we should force change upon them. I hope they didn't think they would find a sympathetic ear overseas because their actions are viewed with absolute disgust in most of the Western world.

I can only apologise to my fellow black South African brothers and sisters and hope that you will not judge 4,5 million whites by the actions of four neanderthals and their kind. I know there are racists among white people, but as with any racist (black or white) they normally make the loudest noise and cause the most trouble!

Etienne Oosthuysen, London