Readers' Views: We will not say 'yes' to the 'Vote No' bid

The "Vote No" campaign is irresponsible and should not be taken seriously. Scores of people died fighting for the right to vote.

The call by Ronnie Kasrils and his cohorts has an element of anarchy .

If they are serious about the state of affairs in the country, and think they have a solution to the problems (which they helped create), they should start their own political party and contest the elections.

I am disappointed at the "academics" who support this nonsense. There is nothing intelligent about it.

If they want to be relevant, they must assist the country by contributing positively in the public discourse rather than blaming and undermining the current leadership. It is our shared responsibility to do so.

I encourage people, especially first-time voters, to go out in numbers on May 7 to vote. We cannot elect the government of our choice by spoiling our votes. Let us do what is right for this country and ourselves and make our voices heard.- Sizwe Mthembu, Malelane

GLAD to see someone of Kasrils's ilk speaking up against the ANC leadership's corruption. Alas, it is a case of too little too late. The damage is done and it is just an inkling of what is yet to come. - Alan, by SMS

MR KASRILS, I have always had great admiration for you and your contribution to the struggle and our democracy. But the stance you are taking, together with former deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, is inconsistent with democracy.

The rampant disillusionment with the ruling party is of grave concern, but spoiling a ballot paper is disingenuous, given the fight you went through to get us to this point.

The vibrancy of any democracy is reliant on the patriotic participation of its citizens in the electoral process, which is our fundamental right.

Sir, this is a watershed election and many born-frees will vote for the first time.

Let us not deny them the opportunity to express their civic duty.

I fully understand your disgust at the ANC, having ceded my membership of the ANC even while you were a minister, but let us not cripple the process of true democracy simply for the sake of our anger and disillusionment.

My appeal to you is to halt your campaign and not to desert our democracy in its moment of need. - Narendh Ganesh, Durban North

IF I were comrades Kasrils and Madlala-Routledge, I would have asked the IEC to add an extra column with "None of the Above" (meaning all the listed political parties) instead of asking people to spoil their hard-earned right to vote in this country.

Hendrik Verwoerd, John Vorster, PW Botha and others must be laughing in their graves when those who fought for the right to vote now campaign for a "no" vote. - Thami Matini, Cape Town

I DO not agree with the "Vote No" campaign but I am more disappointed with the response of ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.

He accused Kasrils of being responsible for the tragic Bisho massacre and of running the intelligence agency into the ground.

It is confusing when the ANC decides to tell us what actually led to the massacre, in anger.

If they know what led to the massacre, why not make proper submissions and representations to the relevant authorities to have this matter dealt with properly? Why wait 22 years to say anything?

This massacre happened in 1992 and the ANC was not even in power yet. The ANC deployed Kasrils in senior cabinet positions after the massacre.

The current ANC leadership is slowly losing the plot and the moral high ground. - Kiekie Mboweni, Nkowankowa