Politicians descended on Marry Me informal settlement in Soshanguve after the slaying of patrollers by marauding gangs. Obviously the memorial service and the subsequent imbizo turned into another platform for the peddling of lies by politicians.
The mayor said the formalisation process for the township will commerce on July 12; it was the first time the community heard about it.
The memorial service went without disruptions but the imbizo became fierce. More than 15 community members voiced grievances, all complained about high levels of crime and unemployment and accused local police of working in cahoots with criminals. Unfortunately, when it was time for premier Panyaza Lesufi to answer the complaints a huge thunderstorm started and the imbizo was abruptly stopped.
The woman sitting next to me murmured that it was the spirits of those who were killed that caused the thunderstorms and that the dead disapprove of politicians coming when there is a crisis to further make empty promises. A few minutes earlier the premier told the grieving community that two of the five suspects who had been arrested had admitted to committing the crime. But an NPA spokesperson said later there was no evidence linking the suspects to the killing.
It has become common when there are killings that generate community anger, a few known criminals are rounded up, only to be released later on the basis of insufficient evidence. In this instance obviously the statement was made with the intention to appease and calm the angry masses.
The only news that the community wanted to hear was that the suspect, in front of a competent court and assisted by lawyers, made a confession thoroughly detailing their participation in the crime.
When members of SAPS are seen visiting foreign-owned spaza shops frequently without effecting any arrests, the assumption is that they are there to collect bribes. The community of Marry Me is in grinding and degrading poverty and young boys with no hope are on the rampage. Corruption largely perpetrated by the elites is responsible for the violence in our townships.
Now we are witnessing crimes that were never common before: kidnappings and extortion, stealing of fuel from pipelines. One thing that became clear during this memorial service is the disconnect between politicians and the masses.
- Junior Mishack Nthane, Soshanguve
Safa’s own goal
It is disgraceful that Bafana Bafana’s World Cup dream hangs in the balance due to a basic administrative blunder by the South African Football Association. How can a national federation fail at the simple task of tracking a player’s suspension? This incompetence is humiliating but entirely predictable from Safa, where accountability is absent and incompetence serves to cover for self-enrichment.
Since 2010, when Bafana Bafana filled the nation with pride, their performances have steadily declined ... [during] years of failure under leadership that offers little real support and delivers no results. Danny Jordaan has overseen this disaster for over a decade, yet remains untouchable.
Ironically, just as Bafana is restoring hope — with an Africa Cup of Nations bronze medal, a 19-match unbeaten streak, and a climb to 57th in the world rankings — Safa sabotages them with another blunder that could cost us dearly. This federation isn’t just making mistakes; it is gambling with South African football’s future. It cannot continue.
Next week, I will hold the Safa board accountable when they appear before the portfolio committee on sport & culture. We also challenge minister Gayton McKenzie: he is quick to boast on social media, but where is his action against this disgrace? Less talk, more action. Heads must roll.
Bafana deserves better. South African football fans deserve better.
- Athol Trollip, ActionSA parliamentary leader
EFF is for fox
The stories "US tariffs shake auto industry" and "SA’s citrus exports to US hang in the balance" and EFF MP Sixolise Gcilishe’s opinion piece "GNU’s budget cuts are aimed to hurt only the poor" (Sunday Times and Business Times, March 30), unleash goosebumps on a worried voter’s skin.
Barney Mthombothi ("A sad saga of Zondo, Cyril, hyenas, foxes and a huge pile of dung") acknowledges the heart of the problem with "foxes [like the EFF] guarding the chicken coop".
We usually set thieves to catch thieves but in South Africa we set them to cover the politicians’ tracks and scandals.
In 2026 and 2029 voters must remember President Cyril Ramaphosa’s diplomatic ineptness. Forgetting this will result in five years of hell and a lifetime of misery.
I’ve heard many ANC followers say their blood is "black, green and gold" and "the problem is not with the ANC, but with its leaders".
Gcilishe ends her article: "The budget cuts are a moral and financial issue," which is an informed observation. It’s indeed noble. But then she spoils it: "The EFF will continue to be the voice of the voiceless and challenge the injustices of a shortsighted government."
This EFF fox drools at the mouth like Pavlov’s dog at the sound of the bell announcing election dates. Gcilishe keeps misleading the voters to keep her MP status, eating well in Cape Town.
- Moikwatlhai Seitisho, Phuthaditjhaba
Viva Ebrahim, viva
We must challenge the stance of Kuseni Dlamini on tension between South Africa and Uncle Donald Trump, an imperialist who is the boss of the West, the destroyer of world order ("Urgent need to de-escalate tensions with US", Sunday Times March 30).
You are with us or against us, then you will suffer the consequences this Goliath of modern times.
Nobody has a right to tell our country how to behave or choose friends for us. Viva comrade Ebrahim Rasool for your stand against the US racist regime. We are with you for your hard attitude to Trump and his cronies. What a shame, Kuseni Dlamini.
- Samuel Tsediso Mbi Mothijoa Masupe, Kroonstad
Who owns the land?
One can wholeheartedly agree with most of what Louise van Rhyn says (“We need a new Afrikaner story”, Sunday Times, March 2), although she neglects to reflect on the plight of minorities and in particular the white farmer.
Three-thousand white crosses against a hill stand as silent testimony to those who were slain. Today the farmer lives in constant fear, who will be next? We cannot just ignore the scar on the hill. Our President Ramaphosa has done little to allay the fears of this minority. To make matters worse Ramaphosa signed the bill regarding the expropriation of land without compensation. Imagine the consequences.
Now inevitably we have to turn to the plight of our black farmers. It is crystal clear that the ANC’s agenda is to expropriate land and make it available to the… No, no your guess is wrong! The land will remain in the hands of the state.
Like in the rest of Africa, black farmers will never own the land and thus no development will take place. This retarded ideology stems from the ANC’s roots and is firmly embedded in their psyche. The land issue will never be resolved unless the ANC masters wake up and acknowledge the importance of private ownership.
Such a mind shift and progressive leap forward will reverberate through the rest of Africa and at last Thabo Mbeki’s dream of an African renaissance will come true. Such a paradigm shift is inevitable and if the Afrikaner could forsake apartheid so can the ANC say no to Marxist socialism.
Oh brothers, we are no longer slaves. We must step out and be free!
- Marius Krige, Hermanus
For opinion and analysis consideration, e-mail Opinions@timeslive.co.za
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