History is full of crimes against humanity.

During the Anglo-Boer War more than 26 000 women and children died in concentration camps set up by the government of the Cape Province, plus the British Army.

One of my forefathers' brothers came back from St Helena after the above-mentioned war to find that all his stock was gone, his farm house was burned, and that his wife and four children had died in one of the concentration camps.

There was no redress, and to keep on blaming the English South Africans and to exact revenge, even by using hate speech, would only have resulted in another war.

Therefore the Afrikaners kept on going forward, working hard, and doing their best.

In the end the hatred between Afrikaners and English South Africans died down, to the extent that today they live together in peace.

The German government under Hitler committed unspeakable crimes against humanity, but today Germany lives in peace with its neighbours and Jews are welcome to live in their country.

South Africa can be great if we live together without wanting revenge, because revenge and hatred will cause harm, and will protract the time it can take to build a prosperous country.

Malema's strident posturing will only cause more strife.

He wants to lead by force. Force has a place in a dictatorship only, not in a democracy.

Too much attention is given to Malema and his blatant racial hatred, and it will only serve to make everyone focus on what he says, while the citizens of South Africa should rather stand together and co-operate towards stamping out corruption, appoint capable managers to the State-Owned Enterprises, and let go of racial hatred and brutality.

The past is past, we should look to the future, and not let Malema divert the attention from where it is most needed.

Susan Davis

Eastern Cape