MARY BURTON
Thank you - he says
Even if a Court of Law understands the misguided frustration of person's in Michael's position, the connection between misguided frustration and extenuation, is to tenuous to constitute extenuation for the purposes of Law.
But you Mr State President, being better informed that the legal profession is, posses a better understanding of how a young man with idealistic religious and political believes such as Michael Lucas can be caught up  in a spiral of violence which eventually leads him in the absence of any genuine political opposition to  charge at political windmills such as bus services with fatal consequences.
I therefore appeal to you  to attempt to appreciate Michael's frustration and on this ground to mitigate his sentence.
I submit further more that there are sound quality reasons not to execute Michael.  Bhongolethu the black township outside Oudtshoorn, is one of the most economically deprived townships in the Western Cape.
Economic depravation is one of the basic reasons why Michael became involved in this so-called freedom struggle which inevitably led to his  downfall.  
The township was caught up in the spiral of violence which designated this  country during 1985.  The bitter deception between the black community and the white, as well as between a large proportion of Bhongolethu's population, and the black persons who allegedly collaborated with the white authorities, grows.
Some  [indistinct] or another Michael's community perceive the resort to violence as a solution to the economic depravation.  Michael himself as the evidence at his trial revealed, was a committed Christian and was well regarded by his community.  As such he is capable of rehabilitation and his community would regard his execution with horror.
I therefore respectfully submit to you Mr State President, that the commuting of his death sentence, as a matter of strategic policy would serve to a swage tensions in the community of Bhongolethu and allow the sentence which he actually receives to serve as a symbol of reconciliation rather than confrontation.