May only blacks cry 'racism'?

In Jonathan Jansen's column "The ad that caused all the trouble" (yesterday), Pierre de Vos is quoted as saying that, according to the Bill of Rights, section 9(4), no person may discriminate against another and that the ad was both racist and criminal.

I am a teacher - and a single dad who is raising two daughters, both straight-A students who want to study after school. In October, I found an advert in Die Burger in which the Western Cape government was looking for students in nursing, medicine, radiology and the like. Bursaries were available to South African citizens living in Western Cape who were in need of financial aid (I cannot afford to pay university fees).

They also had to be "from a previously disadvantaged background".

My one daughter, who is very interested in radiology, fulfilled all but the last criteria.

Is she still eligible to apply for this bursary - or does her race bar her? Is this ad not also transgressing the Bill of Rights, section 9(4)? - G Coetzee, by e-mail

Professor Jansen, wake up and get au fait with our government's policies. Municipalities, the police, the army, to name but a few, have a strict policy, as directed from above, of not employing or promoting whites.

Black economic empowerment is enforced and BEE advertising of vacant posts is rife and accepted.

Where is the indignant clamour from our good prof in those cases? - Noel Chaperon, Olivedale

I am always fascinated by the topical issues raised by Professor Jansen.

It was no surprise that many should justify the patently racist advert by saying the landlady had a right to say whom her tenant should be.

This illustrates how discrimination against blacks prevails 20 years into our democracy.

There is still the perception that "living with blacks will compromise your safety, degrade living environment, property values, etc".

For how long must we as blacks tolerate this indignity?

It's good to note that the matter has been posted with the SA Human Rights Council but the SA Property Owners' Association must also get involved and stamp out the scourge of racism. - Joel Mkunqwana, by e-mail