Edgar Neufeld emails:
Re your piece The well-being of his country, no one seems to understand why Mbeki will never say or do anything publicly against Mugabe. During all the years of the struggle against apartheid, Mugabe harboured and protected ANC leaders. Their gratitude for that outweighs everything else, whether we like it or not.I think this throws some useful light on Thabo Mbeki's stance - in a manner of speaking, explains it. But it obviously isn't a justification. Even deserved gratitude must have some limits.