What possible hope is there of a free and democratic election under these circumstances?A FARLOWLONDON N22 The way they say it Sir: On the subject of BBC mispronunciation (Letters, 31 July), can we ask announcers to apply awareness of pronunciations outside the South-east? Most regular offences are “Cah-sul-ford” for Castleford (Cas a hard pronunciation, Cass not Carss) and where does Cuvv-entry exist? Coventry is a city in the West Midlands and it is Cov … But it was clear there was no evidence.If the police do present any new evidence to us about the Stephen Lawrence murder case we will consider it as a matter of priority.DRU SHARPLINGCHIEF CROWN PROSECUTOR, CPS, LONDON EC4M Costly politics Sir: In the elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (article, 31 July), each parliamentary candidate has to pay a $250 registration fee and each presidential candidate is required to pay a non-refundable registration fee of $50,000 (£27,000). That is not the case.The Metropolitan Police did submit to the CPS a detailed report which focused on other incidents and assaults in South-east London. The CPS gave full consideration to it to assess whether there was evidence to bring charges, including charges of conspiracy. South Africa has made tremendous strides in social services, helped by stable government and a booming economy, but crime remains a serious challenge and concern to which the government and the private sector are devoting increasing resources.These efforts are showing results: statistics prove crime has decreased in Johannesburg during the past year; last month, in a six-month drive in Gauteng province, police response and visibility were strengthened.Business and international groups are entirely confident about South Africa’s ability to hold a superb World Cup in 2010, and you would be doing a disservice to discourage people from planning the trip of a lifetime.We hope your readers will have been able to read between the lines and we cordially invite all to visit one of the most beautiful and hospitable countries to see things for yourselves.LINDIWE MABUZASOUTH AFRICAN HIGH COMMISSIONER, TRAFALGAR SQUARE, LONDON WC1 No evidence found in Lawrence case Sir: The article, “Lawrence suspects may face stabbing charge” (28 July), claims the Crown Prosecution Service failed to consider fully whether the suspects in the Stephen Lawrence murder case could be charged with conspiracy to stab or conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm. In South Africa, the government elected in 1994 faced the unenviable task of redressing centuries of systematic exploitation and oppression, where people were denied employment and advancement through job reservation laws based on skin colour.As the struggle for justice transformation and development continues, so does the imperative to redress the legacies of poverty and disease, unemployment and a shortage of skills.

His clumsy effort at a tribute to the nation’s favourite grandmother serves to remind one what a ghastly old woman she was, and the Queen Mother emerges as a snob. Able to take her pick of men, she marries Guy Ritchie, a man who displays not even a fraction of the maturity of the latest Big Brother reject. The Marquis died in 1980 and afterwards she lived alone in Paris, close to the Picasso Museum in the Marais district.There she lived an interesting double life – Cecily Mackworth to her artistic friends, the Marquise to her aristocratic ones. Her father, Francis, died in 1914, fighting in France, her mother was one of the first women to drive a car, her aunt, Margaret, Viscountess Rhondda, was the founding editor of Time and Tide.She was privately educated, attended the LSE for two years and worked briefly for Time and Tide before escaping abroad. In 1935, she married Leon Donckier de Donceel, a Belgian, by whom she had a daughter the following year, but in 1938 he died of tuberculosis Mackworth, still in her twenties, settled in Paris.

There, in 1937, she had met Henry Miller, frequenting his salon at the Villa Seurat. Through Miller, she met the young poet David Gascoyne, who had published his first book at the age of 16 and A Short Survey of Surrealism (1935) at the age of 19, and the electrifying 26-year-old Lawrence Durrell, then wrestling with his third novel, The Black Book Gascoyne and Durrell became her lifelong friends. Labour Party members will not always agree with every view expressed by their MP, but at the last reselection ballot she was unanimously nominated by all our branches.STEPHEN BEERCHAIRCOLIN BARKERSECRETARY, VAUXHALL LABOUR PARTY, LONDON SW1H South Africa crime fight succeeding Sir: The issues in the article “Tourists urged to boycott South Africa over crime” (25 July), should be seen in perspective.No one disputes that criminal activity is a major problem through the world, and particularly so in societies where there have been great disparities between rich and poor. If the Government allows only home inspectors to produce the Energy Performance Certificate, extreme delays are likely.ROBERT SHEARER FRICSNEWTOWN, POWYS Hoey will stay as our MP Sir: There are no moves in Vauxhall Labour Party to deselect Kate Hoey as our MP, though we note that someone in Wiltshire is attempting to start a campaign (Pandora, 27 July).Kate is a popular MP in the party and the constituency, for which she has worked hard over the past 17 years. I am an experienced chartered surveyor, but to qualify as a home inspector, I was required to completely retrain. I have now withdrawn from the course and have been informed the meagre repayment of part of the fee course will be delayed by at least a fortnight, because of the volume of withdrawals.Qualified home inspectors are likely to become a rare breed.