News24 Users sound off

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2008-11-21 16:35

Here is a selection of other letters and articles sent in to News24 this week.

Now is not the time for fear. Now is not the time for panic, now is the time for resolve and steady leadership. Now is not the time to wish that things might change, now is the time to make that change. This is the time to vote Cope, now is the time to say no to the Zuma government and his rude supporters. We can meet this moment. We can come together to restore confidence in South Africa. We need action now. This is not a time for ideology - it's a time for common sense and time for you to make that change. Cope is your only hope at these challenging times.

The test of an idea must not be whether it is liberal or conservative - the test should be whether it works for South Africans. This is a nation that has faced great challenges and great threats. And at each and every moment, we have risen to meet these challenges with courage. The South Africa story has never been about things coming easy - it's been about rising to the moment when the moment is hard; about rejecting panicked division for purposeful unity. That's why we remember that some of the most famous words ever spoken by a South African, the former President Mbeki, using the metaphor of a Comrades Marathon: "Those who complete the course will do so only because they do not, as fatigue sets in, convince themselves that the road ahead is still too long, the inclines too steep, the loneliness impossible to bear and the prize itself of doubtful value". - Tamie T-Bone Hashe

On 27 August 2008, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the leader of the IFP, celebrated his 80th birthday. Chief Buthelezi is one of the less celebrated and often demonised heroes. Once an active member of the ANC, Buthelezi formed the Inkatha initially to promote and protect the Zulu culture and traditions. Because of his strong convictions against terrorism, he vehemently opposed the ANC's armed struggle and eventually served "divorce papers" on the ANC when it formed the Umkhonto WeSizwe. Although he was no longer a member of the ANC, Buthelezi consistently rejected the many deals offered to him by the apartheid government unless it released Mandela from prison and lifted the ban on the ANC. The ANC's attempt to rename the Mangosuthu Highway in Umlazi is a slap in the face of this great elder who contributed immensely to SA. Yes, Buthelezi, like any other politician, is not without fault but his contributions should be acknowledged. - Lindani Gumede

The screaming headline, "Zuma wants only one term" in The Sunday Independent (27 August 2008), caught my eye that Sunday morning. I did not plan to buy a newspaper that weekend, but that headline caught my attention. "What could the Reverend Doctor Jacob Zuma be smoking?" I asked myself. Anyone who knows politics and their convoluted ways will tell you that nothing is what it appears to be in politics. It simply never is a case of "what you see is what you get". Reading the Pretoria News yesterday about the move by the ANC Work Committee to fast-track the election date to March jolted my mind back to that time with the Sunday Time story on JZ. I remember vividly how the assertions by the ANC president really threw me off then. Why does Zuma want only one presidential term if he could get two? Do JZ supporters starting to believe that he might not be the president come poll time next year? But then I had forgotten that Zuma knows his life and his ambitions are on separate lengths. - Tshepo Matjila

Dear Comrade Zuma. I read, with interest, the report in a Cape newspaper of your comments made to religious leaders in Polokwane. You are quoted as saying that prayer should be enforced in schools and that people need to fear god, ancestors and their fellow human beings and finally blaming the media for some of the problems because you claim there is too much sex and violence on television. I am, however, confused as to your view on how society should treat the following immorality:

1. A well known politician (VP of the ANC at the time, and a former VP of South Africa) had sex with a woman who admits she considered this man as her uncle. This man had been a father figure to this young woman. Surely, our society frowns on such blatant immorality.
2. To make things worse, this person knew the woman had HIV and still slept with her without wearing a condom
3. This man is a married man with several women and hence put several other people in danger.
4. This man mentioned in 1 above is accused of corruption where his adviser received benefits as a result of bribes paid to this man. This man indicated he wanted to have his day in court, but has done everything possible to prevent that from ever happening.
5. This man invokes the use of a machine gun to his audience while many have said they will kill for him. This man, and not the media, is giving hope to all criminals in the country. - Len van Heerden

I read an article on News24 about a week ago about the ANC not making use of the internet in the same way that Obama made use of it. I in fact think that the ANC didn't miss out at all and believe that their reasoning was sound. Allow me to explain: The ANC have long been hailed in this country as the party responsible for bringing South Africa out of apartheid and have been seen as a "champion for the poor and uneducated". I haven't done the research, but I'd willing to bet that the majority of their support comes from the rural areas where use of internet is severely limited and illiteracy is high. The point I wish to make with this article is that the ANC no longer seem to have much to offer to the up and coming middle class. Their policies are aimed at the poor; promising them housing, free education and everything else they could wish for. They ride the wave of success created by inspirational leader Nelson Mandela, but fail to build on what he created. Is it really even in the ANC's best interests to alleviate poverty if the majority of their support comes from there? Can the ANC risk having an educated majority in our country that would question their policies? The support that Cope is already enjoying and the blatant hostility shown towards them by the ANC is already an indication that this party is no longer what our country needs. - Chris G

The MyNews24 Leaderboard

TOP READ USER ARTICLE 14/11 - 20/11 Mphatjie Monareng 'I'm voting Cope because...' News24 User Mphatjie Monareng tells us why he will be joining Cope this year. Tell us why you'll be supporting your political party of choice... more Reads: 5374 Comments:     383

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