South Africa has always been a strong constitutional public where the rule of law is respected and our progressive constitution the envy of the world over but what happens when law and order are given the middle finger by politically connected individuals who cower behind the guise of wrongful persecution and liken lawful arrests to apartheid-era tactics?
This country is being put to the test and if the rule of law is allowed to be eroded into oblivion, then we will come up short in our pursuit of a more perfect democracy.
This weekend Jacob Zuma, released on medical parole following an intervention from former correctional services commissioner Arthur Fraser, was seen palling around with his buddy Dudu Myeni. Zuma looked in good health and spirit and likened his arrest, for contempt of court, to apartheid-era detention without a trial.
While the 56 military veterans who held defence minister Thandi Modise, her deputy Thabang Makwetla, and minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele, face prosecution, there have been calls to release them.
Political commentator Justice Malala writes in Financial Mail (Subscribe to read) that South Africans must realise that without constant work the country could very easily fall.
“You don’t just get the country you want. You get the country you build. Part of that hard work of building a country is enforcing the rule of law across the board. There can be no exceptions or special cases.”
The latest babbling from Zuma and his ilk concerning perceived wrongful treatment follows the failed insurrection in July when unrest led to rioting in Durban and parts of Gauteng.
There are still unanswered questions surrounding national security and what exactly transpired for events to escalate to such extreme levels of unrest, but the Zuma faction within the ANC certainly has something to answer for in our pursuit of the truth.
But more than that, are we a nation that embraces anarchy, looting and turns our back on the rule of law? Isaac Mashaba writes in The Citizen (Subscribe to read) that South Africa has embraced criminality and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to disagree with that assessment.
After all, we have a long history of political corruption.
Here’s what else you need to know today:
Editorial | Artisanal mining is a vital part of SA’s economy and must be formalised – Sunday Times Dail (Register to read)
Kate Thompson Davy | Beyond the buzz, Big Tech’s metaverse dreams are still far from reality – Business Day (Subscribe to read)
Deon Gouws | Brexit: the biggest own goal a nation has ever scored – Financial Mail
Toby Shapshak | Waking up to a world in which Facebook’s emperor has no clothes – Daily Maverick
Steven Friedman | The DA is becoming the poster child of the Right – New Frame
Chad Williams | As a patriot and Black man, Colin Powell embodied the ‘two-ness’ of the African American experience – The Conversation
