Thousands of South Africans have marched through the capital, Pretoria, to protest against the high crime rate

The protesters handed over a memorandum calling for urgent government action. The minister who accepted it on President Thabo Mbeki's behalf was drowned out in the chorus of boos as he tried to respond to their concerns. Popular actor and comedian Desmond Dube said he was inspired to organise the event, called the "Million Man March", after a neighbor was shot dead. The march comes a day after local reggae singer Tiny Motho Siluma was shot dead outside his home. His is the latest in a number of high-profile murders. In October 2007, there was outrage when the famous reggae artist Lucky Dube was also shot dead in Johannesburg. He was attacked by armed robbers in a suburb of the city.