The descent into lawlessness does not happen overnight. It takes place over a number of years, usually encouraged by the absence of consequences for those who break the law.
In many aspects of our lives, South Africa has descended into frightening lawlessness.
It has become the norm that, whenever some compatriots feel that they have reason to be upset with any tier of government, they resort to burning schools or other public infrastructure in order to register their displeasure.
Stoked by anger — whether real or feigned for the cameras — a growing number of our compatriots feel justified in sowing mayhem and, in the process, inconveniencing everybody else. Even private property is seen as fair game.
When students embarked on the #FeesMustFall protests, some burnt important buildings like halls and even libraries.The protests were about free education, and yet some among them undermined that cause by ensuring that whatever money was made available by the government would be diverted to repairing or rebuilding the damaged infrastructure.
When trade unions embark on strikes, some of their members find it hard to resist the temptation to trash our streets and even to unleash violence.
Service delivery protests take place because some tier of government has yet again failed.
When the people of Vuwani protested against the creation of a new municipality, they prevented children from going to school and even set a number of schools alight.
This conduct is most abnormal. People who respect themselves do not behave in that manner. Protests and strikes occur in most democratic countries, but they are not routinely accompanied by the kind of violence and lawlessness that have become so common in South Africa.
This is a situation about which all South Africans should be deeply concerned.
Yet, despite growing denunciations, this trend continues. The reason is simple: those who commit such criminal acts do so knowing that what they are doing is illegal, but that the chances are good that they will get away with it.
They know that they will get away with it because they have done it before and got away with it, or they have seen others doing the same before and getting away with it. They know that there will be no consequences.
That is why these people feel bold enough to appear on TV with their faces exposed to threaten to torch schools and other public facilities. They know they will get away with it.
Our biggest enemy, then, is impunity. As long as people can behave so terribly and get away with it, they will continue to do so — and others will feel emboldened to emulate them...