JZ abusing culture
I am proud to be a Zulu woman, and think Zulu culture, like other South African cultures, should be celebrated. But I am sick and tired of Jacob Zuma hiding behind Zulu culture whenever he shoots himself in the foot.
During his rape trial he claimed the victim had seduced him and he had to oblige because Zulu culture demanded it. Now he has attacked gay people and shown the nation that he is homophobic.
It is one thing for him to be a closet homophobe, but to publicly use such hate speech and expect the public to respect him is beyond me. I’m angry that he has again used Zulu culture to defend himself, as if he was doing a noble thing.
Zuma must realise that he cannot go around abusing our constitutional rights and undermining the democracy so many died for.
Culture is a wonderful thing that is there to nurture and protect people, not abuse and humiliate. — Nthombikayise Mthiya
Viva to the Mail & Guardian for coming out loud and clear on same-sex marriages. In a constitutional democracy, we need a media that does not hide behind “impartiality” on matters of equality.
We also need a pride march where all South Africans, gay or straight, are united in taking up the struggles of those who continue to suffer prejudice.
We salute all those, regardless of sexual orientation, who support the just cause of lesbian and gay equality. Our leaders should follow the example of ANC Youth League president Fikile Mabalula, who has publicly endorsed lesbian and gay people’s human rights. — Melanie Judge, OUT LGBT Well-being
The great debate over gay marriage is no debate at all. Its opponents fail to understand that the Constitutional Court, in ordering the amendment of the Marriages Act, was merely articulating, not legislating for, inalienable rights enshrined in the Constitution: the right to equality and to be free of unfair discrimination.
The electorate has already spoken through its elected representatives in passing the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act.
The Bill of Rights is specifically designed to protect minorities. If there were only two gay people in the country who wished to marry, and every other citizen opposed them, gays’ rights would prevail.
Ironically, the proposed Civil Unions Bill is a grave manifestation of the violation of gay rights. The very term “civil unions” instead of “marriages” exposes the Bill’s sub-text: “civil” is a secular term, while “marriage” has religious connotations. The intention is to divest gay marriages of the status of “holy matrimony”. — Laurence Berman, Pretoria
The Constitutional Court ruling on homosexual marriage took the view that the Constitution’s “sexual orientation” clause meant identical treatment in relationships rather than equal provision.
In the draft Civil Union Bill, Parliament has reflected more deeply on the implications for society and has decided to provide equal rights for homosexual partnerships, ensuring that time-honoured definition of marriage as “a sacred union between a man and a women” remains unchanged.
Four out of five South Africans call themselves Christians. Christianity has kept life-long, faithful, monogomous marriage between a man and a woman as an ideal right at the centre of society. It is ultimately a foundation for strong families, and ultimately a stable society.
Mormon polygamists in the United States have attempted to argue that they have a “sexual orientation”. Sexologists have similarly argued that zoosexuals — who practise bestiality — have a bona fide sexual orientation. If homosexuals are given access to marriage, it sets us down a real slippery slope of all sexual minorities arguing for access to marriage. — Philip Cole
Cadre-tsotsis need rehab
I was sad to learn from Monako Dibetle’s article (“How to hire a AK-47”, September 29) that unemployed Apla and Umkhonto weSizwe combatants have resorted to crime.
I don’t want to undermine their role in the struggle for a democratic and united South Africa. They were needed to reinforce our mass political action.
But we cannot approve of the weapons trade in Sharpeville, as it leaves families without loved ones who fall victim to hijacking and cash-in-transit robberies.
We have just learned that organised crime in South Africa has exploded, with police reporting a 74% rise in cash-in-transit heists and increases in bank robberies, car hijackings and car theft.
I must also disagree with the combatant interviewed by Dibetle who said the former cadres are driven by frustration with a government that has forgotten them.
Of 28 000 registered MK and 6 000 Apla members, 24 000 reported for integration and 6 000 chose to be released from the military. Are the 6 000 not the ones who are leasing and selling arms?
I suggest that more research be done to find out what happened to these cadres. Perhaps they need to be rehabilitated in programmes run by the defence force. — Thuli Mboweni, Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
Inspiring
I would like to welcome the Welkom Yizani share offer by Media24.
It is praiseworthy that one of the leading media houses has decided to allow black people to buy shares.
It is quite inspiring to see people from the remotest of rural areas having an interest in acquiring the shares.
I work in a rural town for the bank involved in the offer, andhave noted the hordes of people coming to inquire about it.
People have been moaning about how BEE benefits an elite few who are already rich, excluding the vast majority of our people. What Media24 has done is a step in the right direction, and should encourage other businesses to follow suit. — Mpendulo G Xwazi, Sterkspruit
Colonial mindset hampers SA
Dani Rodrik’s comment (September 22) that “the weakness of export-oriented manufacturing has deprived South Africa of growth opportunities” hits the nail on the head. We must expand the manufacturing sector and export, not let it shrink, as at present.
Our manufactures must compete on world markets, and few of our decision-makers understand that this won’t happen unless we develop a creative design culture and the entrepreneurship to go with it.
We are still handicapped by a colonial mentality and the fact that it has been too easy to make money by exporting raw materials — supporting other nations’ enterprises.
We have repeatedly made the same mistake as other emerging economies of manufacturing foreign products under licence and using tariff protection to make the policy viable. This is to accept economic colonialism — it does not enable us to export competitively, nor develop the skills needed for this.
Our design institute comprises four or five brave souls working on a shoestring budget; South Korea’s independent design institute has 600 staff and a budget to match. This is one reason why so many Korean cars are on our roads, and not the reverse.
We are even kidded into being proud that we export locally assembled foreign cars, when foreign companies are achieving this using our infrastructure and labour.
For future economic growth, we must compete on overseas markets with South African brand names, earning money from overseas and distributing it locally through employment at all skills levels. — Michael Hunt, Howick
A persecuted and blessed church
The Mail & Guardian (“Pay the Lord”, September 15) claims the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God does not preach biblical doctrine, but exists to enrich itself and its bishops and pastors, and fleeces poor communities. This is untrue.
The article lacked research and did not give the church an opportunity to respond. The questions sent to us were unprofessionally prepared and interrogatory in tone. The church was given insufficient time to respond, and the questions bore little relation to the article. The church’s media liaison officer attempted to contact the deputy editor in the hope that the matter could be properly and professionally dealt with, but her approaches were ignored.
The Universal Church is a worldwide and recognised church. The doctrine and morals it teaches are based on the Bible, and this can be seen on our website.
The article defames the church by insinuating that it is involved in money laundering. It does not disclose that these allegations, although fairly old, have never been proved true and that the Brazilian publications who made them have been sued.
Much is made of the exhortation to give tithes. This a biblical principle. The funds are our only source of income and are used to build churches and support ministries of the church, including those to the poor.
The Universal Church bases its services, preaching and work on the Bible. Pastors are not selected according to their age, but in accordance with biblical principles.
You reported on the testimonies of people who had been financially blessed, but failed to describe those whose families had been restored and lives transformed after finding salvation in Christ. Members of the church and others have the right to experience freedom and blessings in Christ.
Despite the church being maligned it will continue to do God’s work. As the Bible says: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” — Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, Johannesburg
Pull the other one, Ignatius!
It’s a joke for Gauteng Transport Minister Ignatius Jacobs to encourage people to use public transport, when he knows how unreliable it is.
In Switzerland, trams, buses, cabs and trains run on strict schedules. As they are guarded by officers, they are also safe. There, you can leave your car at home, use public transport to go to work and be on time for meetings.
In South Africa, the trains are unsafe and overcrowded, and never arrive on time. Who leaves their car at a train station? Anyone who did would soon find the car, or its radio, missing.
Buses don’t operate in certain areas. And you can’t depend on taxis to get you anywhere by a certain time — they have to be full before they make their way to a destination.
None of these modes of transport are reliable; you can’t plan your movements around them. And making connections is a nightmare.
If the government wants more people to use public transport, it must invest more money and come up with systems like trams, which run according to schedules. And there must be synergy between buses, taxis and trains so that one gets to one’s destination on time.
Otherwise, it’s just cheap talk, and people will continue using cars. — Singabakho Nxumalo, media analyst, Delahaye Africa
From GM crops to nuclear power
Robert Kirby should take up Andrew Kenny’s challenge to a debate (Letters, September 29). Kenny must be the only environmentalist in the world who believes in nuclear energy.
A few years ago he told us how wonderful GM crops were. Now there are hundreds of incidents of environmental contamination by GM pollen and human error, and potential lawsuits running into billions. Some environmentalist!
Why does he not mention that developers dramatically underestimate the cost of decommissioning nuclear plants to fool governments and the public?
Like GM crops, nuclear power will cause huge losses and do the environment irreparable damage. — Andrew Taynton, Linkhills, KwaZulu-Natal