This is something that has been bubbling in my subconscious for a while now and recent events have compelled me to express these feelings publicly rather than keeping them locked inside.

Dear Pres. Mbeki,

1. HIV/AIDS is real! It is not some Western conspiracy targeting Africans in the hope that the continent self-destructs and ultimately fails so that a few fat, white, bald men can smoke cigars and salute each other over a glass of port. Your claim that you don’t know anyone with AIDS so how can it exist not only demonstrates your ignorance, but also highlights the fact that you are out of touch with the plight of your fellow countrymen.
2. Crime is everywhere and is completely out of control. Most governments would call this a state of emergency but that would mean admitting there was a problem. People of all colours desperately yearn for a secure environment where they don’t have to worry about the safety of their friends or loved ones on a daily basis. If this makes them whingeing, well what is the name for people that aren’t?
3. Your policy regarding Zimbabwe was a tipping point for many South Africans and perhaps you see much of your self in Mugabe—Proud, ignorant and totalitarian.
4. People didn’t vote Jacob Zuma in as the next ANC President, they voted against you!
5. Get out while you can. If you had any common sense or self-respect you would realise that you have turned into a complete failure and are leaving behind a legacy that most people would pay to have erased. You have disappointed and caused in-fighting amongst your own ruling party and have let down the 60-odd million people (including illegal immigrants) who gave you a real chance and wanted to see this country work. What’s more, your reputation throughout the rest of Africa is tainted as a good friend of mine recently experienced when he was laughed out of the DRC.

Finally, I say this not because I am some white racist who is looking for any excuse to emigrate, but because I love my country of birth and the people that make it so special and have remained here through thick and thin and can’t stand the fact that you are making it increasingly difficult to be proudly South African or want to bring-up a family in a corrupt, violent, kleptomaniac state.

Yours truly,
Colin Daniels