To survive, the DA must find a person who is strong, charismatic, educated and black. Such is the observation of Lufuno Mulaudzi (Letters, Sunday Times February 26). I do not have enough words to tell you, Dr Mulaudzi, how we “white people” pray for this, a black messiah to step forward.
As far back as 15 years ago we said we want a “hardgebakte, swart vasvatter” (no-nonsense, go-getting, black ass-kicker). It is not widely known that we “white people” do not pay much attention to colour. Colour is impersonal. Colour is amoral. Colour is not important in the practical world. We “white people” bow to practical excellence.
If there are two doctors in my town I go to the one who is excellent. The person you described in your letter is excellent. Where shall the DA get this excellent person? According to a senior ANC luminary, black people sing and dance well but when it comes to service delivery, things are “dololo”.
We need Helen Zille-type leaders. But they must be pitch black.
- Alwyn Burger, Middelburg, Eastern Cape
High blood pressure
The opinion piece “Cancel this tax credit that jeopardises the health of the poor” (Sunday Times, February 22), highlights key issues around the skills challenges in the labour market, with particular focus on health-care workers and the department of public service & administration.
However, focusing on cancelling the medical aid tax credit as part of the solution to our poor health service seems to miss the reality of life in South Africa. How can it be viewed as “incentivising people to use private health care” when it constitutes, on average, a rebate of some 6% on a monthly contribution?
Furthermore, for pensioners, subsidised contributions could constitute as much as 28% of their monthly retirement benefit. So, why are people opting for private health care, which in many cases is unaffordable? Simply because of the failure of the government; using the public health system could result in death.
Tax credits for private health contributions certainly do not jeopardise the health of the poor — we need to focus on the real issues
— K Eashen, Randburg
Once the rot is cleaned up and renewal proves to be a success, what is proposed could receive overwhelming support in years to come. Right now it seems like a pipe dream without merit that must be resisted.
Have the authors of the opinion piece considered the extent to which public health care sector is being targeted for corruption? It raises the question: will we not simply enhance the available finances for medical care and make it more attractive for looting?
Just last week it was reported that a convicted fraudster with zero experience, who was part of a criminal network, was appointed CEO at a Free State hospital, while an experienced and competent medical doctor, serving in this position since 2019 as acting CEO, was overlooked?
Tax credits for private health contributions certainly do not jeopardise the health of the poor — we need to focus on the real issues.
- K Eashen, Randburg
Irritating ideas
I am irritated by the frequent articles by Bjorn Lomborg. He is known for cherry-picking facts to support his agenda. I wish to add some facts to his statements on Germany (“Cheap, secure energy now — and green solutions later", Sunday Times February 22).
Lomborg’s description of a political backlash against the energy transition under the conservative Chancellor Merz is correct. Despite this, the expansion of renewable energy (wind and solar) has continued in Germany. The reason is that electricity from wind and solar is the cheapest and, because of the increasing share of cheap renewables, the price of electricity came down in 2025. This trend is continuing.
For Germany (and other countries, including South Africa) the headline of the article should read: Cheap energy now — let’s go green.
- Susanna Godehart, architecture and energy consulting, Durban
All aboard the gravy plane
Has the fight against corruption quietly shifted from looting to publicly funded opulent lifestyles and excesses?
Corruption has evolved. It no longer needs to steal loudly. It can spend legally. It can justify comfortably. When overt corruption becomes politically risky, systems of corruption adapt. They move into grey zones: international engagements, delegations, study tours, conferences and bilateral dialogues. Everything is in compliance. Everything is within policy. Everything is regulated.
The question is not whether travel is allowed. The question is whether it is necessary.
Between March and November 2025, the department of higher education & training spent R5.8m on 17 international trips by minister Buti Manamela and his two deputies. In the same year, the minister in the Presidency, Maropene Ramokgopa, incurred nearly R2m in travel expenses for a seven-day trip to New York with three staff members. The department of social development faced scrutiny over the R3m bill for a seven-person, five-day trip to a UN conference in New York.
None of this is illegal. That is precisely the point.
In a country suffocating under unemployment and institutional fatigue, restraint is not symbolism. It is leadership
— Chris Kanyane, Pretoria
When austerity is preached at home while executive travel flourishes abroad, public trust erodes. Universities are told there is no money. Social services are stretched. Youth unemployment remains catastrophic. Yet international travel budgets appear resilient.
If South Africa is serious about creating a culture of anti-corruption, then transparency must evolve with spending.
Executive travel should be published on a public dashboard, with full cost breakdowns within 30 days and clear outcome reports tied to measurable departmental impact. Delegation sizes should be capped, and virtual participation should be the default unless compelling national interest requires otherwise.
In a country suffocating under unemployment and institutional fatigue, restraint is not symbolism. It is leadership.
- Chris Kanyane, Pretoria
Truth hurts?
The crude remarks made recently by a Wits professor, Srila Roy, about South Africans’ work ethic ironically come at a time when the department of home affairs has just cancelled more than 250,000 study visas that were found to have been issued illegally.
Bribery undermines things such as background checks, which leaves the country vulnerable to immigrants who do not have the best of intentions.
We often label concern about migrant labour and the ratio of foreign nationals to locals in terms of job placement as xenophobia. But there are consequences when integrating foreign nationals into a society that should serve holders of green ID books or smart-cards first. Things such as cultural and political views, financial habits, as well as views on how work should be done, are all likely to differ and cause dissension when foreign nationals are recklessly placed to work among South Africans.
Employers must apply due diligence when hiring foreign nationals to ensure that their hiring decision will not insult or undermine wider society, as Prof Roy has.
- Tisetso Tsukudu, Soweto, Johannesburg
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