Readers' views via SMS

NOW if only Gary Kirsten coached rugby!

MURDER suspects fear for lives? Oh shame! What about the fear their victims experienced? Leave them in St Albans.

DID you offer the victims any sympathy after they begged you for mercy? You should not be granted any sympathy.

THE ice-cream murder accused showed their alleged victims no mercy, so let them tough it out in prison. The justice system is far too lenient on these criminals.

VOETGANGER, are you joking or are you serious about pedestrian crossings on the N2? If you are serious, then you must surely be living in cloud cuckooland! Rules of the road regarding freeways clearly state: no pedestrians, no animal-drawn vehicles, no towing, no stopping, no bicycles, no motorcycles less than 100cc engines, no hitch-hiking. The minimum speed on a freeway is 10km/h. So why do we see pedestrians running across lanes, hitch-hikers, bicycles, people waiting for their lifts, people dropped off on the freeway? Pedestrians running across the N2 in the face of oncoming fast-moving vehicles can cause a serious accident. I don't have any sympathy for those knocked over and/or killed on the freeway, as they should not be there in the first place. Why do motorists disregard the barrier lines and cut in front of other motorists, risking a collision? Where is the law enforcement?

ALLAN Zinn does a good job of putting a selective perspective on two sporting codes. Why does he not include the racist selection policy of soccer?

UNSPOKEN Thoughts by Kazeka Kuse: an interesting view, but I don't see why Mamphela Ramphele can't get the vote from "uneducated and disenfranchised" youth. What has the ANC done for them?

A DISGRACE: last week I went to the railway police for help in Swartkops. One was smelling of liquor and the other two were sleeping. Their response for not helping me: "We don't do complaints here. Can't you read? It says Swartkops railway police here." I was almost robbed in front of their office.

SHAME on you, Mr Cunningham snr! Is your world really a better place for "distancing" yourself from your troubled son? To leave it to your daughter to support him. She obviously understands what went wrong in his short life.

IN the case of Fred Gordon, Brent Cunningham and others, Herald readers often call for mob justice, castration, the death penalty! I suggest you print Redi Tlhabi's article in the Sunday Times of January 13, "Harsh jail crime creates more crime".

THE animal deaths blogger is spot on. How can locking a dog up in a prison for two weeks and then killing it if it hasn't been sold to pay salaries be regarded as "welfare"? Rather support the AACL and Animal Outreach.

ONE reason for unemployment is self enrichment by those in management positions. Capitalism!

MOST of the police working at Afcon in PE were off sick but were back for the money and after Afcon must we do their work because they are off sick again?

THANKS to NMMM for prompt attention to two problems reported to your helpdesk.

GOD bless the firemen in Port Elizabeth. They are always on the ball and very hard working, even when there is an animal in distress. Then they are there to help. Thank you guys.

IT's amazing that the councillor for Windvogel and Hillside cannot see all the dirt in these areas where her office is.

THIS April it will be 19 years of ANC rule. What was a well-governed country is totally tattered and torn.

CORRUPT health officials are killing the nation in sabotaging the government of the ANC because they aren't ANC. They want to see it fail the people. EMS is the most neglected wing of the department. Shortage of staff, underpaid. I can't even buy a house. Three ambulances cover the whole metro. PW Botha's government had 18 ambulances. Why can't we?

ADVOCATE Paul Jooste, how can you compare the death of a child by a truck in front of his mother to a child being murdered by being shot in the back of the head by police, also in front of his mother? The first was an accident, this is murder!

IT seems like The Herald makes a habit of publishing incorrect news. The truck that overturned had two injured people taken to hospital and a pedestrian was injured, so Brian Witbooi please get your facts together.