The Presidency on Tuesday refused to accept 23 000 letters about crime from concerned South Africans.

Solidarity trade union deputy general secretary Dirk Hermann led a three-member delegation to Parliament to personally deliver the letters to President Jacob Zuma.

Pushing wheelbarrows containing the letters, the trio arrived at Parliament's visitors' centre - the appointed place of delivery - shortly after noon.

Hermann told the media that the Presidency had confirmed it would accept the letters at the visitors' centre.

However, after some time and many cellphone calls to the Presidency, Hermann announced that the group had been instructed to take the letters to Zuma's office, Tuynhuys, inside the Parliamentary premises.

They duly pushed the wheelbarrows through the parliamentary gates and across the cobbles up to Tuynhuys, through the Tuynhuys gates, right up to the door, to the delight of the photographers, cameramen and journalists covering the event.

After another lengthy wait and further cellphone calls, Hermann and his delegation were instructed by the police to take everything back to the visitors' centre, because the bundles of letters had not been scanned by security.

Back at the visitors' centre, and after more cellphone calls, Hermann announced that the Presidency was now refusing to accept the letters.

Under the circumstances, he said, they had no option but to dump the letters on the steps to the centre in the hope the Presidency would collect them there.

Failing that, he and his delegation would return to collect the letters after Zuma's reply to the debate on his State of the Nation address on Tuesday afternoon.

Hermann said the Presidency's action was a slap in the face of victims of crime.

"South Africans have shared their pain with the President by writing letters.

"Parents wrote about the murder of their children. Women wrote about the pain of a spouse that died as a result of crime and ordinary South Africans wrote about the influence that crime has had on them," he said.

"That is why, in reaction to the Presidency's refusal today, Solidarity has decided to carry on with the campaign."

He said that South Africans must continue to send their letters to the President.

By 1pm on Tuesday, more than 27 000 letters had been received from South Africans via the website www.dearpresident.co.za, said Hermann.