#DearMrPresident: South Africans Write to President Zuma on Twitter

A screenshot of video footage showing Vuyo Mvoko, a South African TV reporter, being robbed at gunpoint seconds before going live on air in South Africa.

A screenshot of video footage showing Vuyo Mvoko, a South African TV reporter, being robbed at gunpoint seconds before going live on air in South Africa.

Yusuf Abramjee, the head of Crime Line South Africa, an independent initiative aimed at getting criminals off the streets, has written an open letter to South Africa's President Jacob Zuma expressing his concern about the rising levels of crime in the country.

“Dear Mr President,I am taking off all my professional hats and writing to you in desperation as a South African citizen deeply concerned about the levels of crime in our country. I write as one of the countless citizens who have fallen victim to crime with the shadow of fear following our every step.I write to you with a heavy heart for the many men, women and children whose lives are lost or destroyed by crime,” Ambrajee's open letter to South Africa's president begins.

He went on to advise the president to leave politics out of key appointments and stop “patting mediocrity, uselessness and corruption on the back, sending their servants on their way with a golden handshake.”

According to Abramjee, some 47 South Africans are murdered on average every day. South Africa has one of the highest rates of murders, assaults, and rapes in the world.

Ambramjee himself is a victim of crime. His house was invaded by two armed robbers two years ago. He also narrowly escaped hijacking in Johannesburg in August this year.

After Abramjee's open letter went viral, South Africans from all walks of life took to Twitter to tell President Zuma what they thought about his governance of the country using the hashtag #DearMrPresident. President Zuma himself is a Twitter user.

Referring to Zuma's recent foreign policy speech in which he blamed the West for European refugee crisis, Gord Laws wrote:

ALETTAHA was happy for having voted for the opposition's Democratic Alliance:

Johan provided Zuma with some statistics on drug addiction in Johannesburg (Jozi):

Ntombi Nzimande tweeted:

Shaka Zulu complained about pervasive greed and selfishness:

The Rugby World Cup is taking place in the United Kingdom at the moment. South Africa previously won the cup in 1995 and 2007 under former president Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. Maseko Goodwill expected Zuma to keep up:

Codename D.U.S raised the issue of inequality:

A report by South Africa's Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found that President Jacob Zuma unduly benefited from security upgrades to his Nkandla homestead, which cost tax payers about 250 million rands, or US $25 million. The upgrades included a fire pool. User Diederick Stopforth thought it pertinent to ask Zuma for suggestions:

Brandon noted the distinct rise in public criticism:

Sihle Ngobese also seemed disappointed with Zuma's governance style:

Sipho Kubheka joked about Zuma's lack of reaction to the open letter (it is widely known that President Zuma has had no formal schooling):

Finally, Mdu asked President Zuma to at least acknowledge the people's voices:

Although President Zuma is a Twitter user, he is not know for responding to questions or criticism from social media users.

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