Some weeks ago, this newspaper carried an article by educationist John Samuel on maladministration and corruption in the ANC since 1994. He regretted that many ANC supporters, including himself, had waited too long before raising the alarm.
He said the reasons for this timidity were that the new government was so much better than the one before and a hope that mistakes would be corrected before matters got out of hand. How wrong these reasons were.
Samuel's article was a reminder that vigilance is the price of democracy and that anyone who sees worrying signs in governance needs to raise the alarm immediately.The Western Cape has for many years been a shining light on the hill as far as governance is concerned. It is the only opposition-governed province, with the DA ruling since 2009.
The DA has traded on its clean image as proof that it governs better and less corruptly than the ANC.
Given Samuel's warning, it is important that all South Africans hold governments, civil servants and politicians to the highest standard and raise questions when red lights flash.
Over the past few months, four Western Cape issues have emerged, two of them related, which threaten to dim that shining light on the hill.
The first regards the site on which the Tafelberg School - now closed - still stands. The buildings have not been in use for many years and is on a prime piece of real estate - level land on Sea Point's Main Road, where property values can appreciate by as much as 60% a year if you buy intelligently.Not only the wealthy live in the area. As someone who lives about 50m from the former school, I can attest that in Sea Point, wealthy and poor live cheek by jowl - some live on the pavement (six people in our little street), some rent and others can afford to own posh apartments.
Tafelberg is a perfect spot to rezone for mixed-housing use, with some space for the poor who have lived and worked in Sea Point for years.
But the Western Cape government sold the property to the Phyllis Jowell Jewish Day School, which, according to the South African Jewish Report, has only 150 pupils.
No wonder the chairman of the school's governing body says that the "very substantial" site and "magnificent" building have "tremendous potential" for educational, communal, recreational and commercial use - an admission that not only the school will be based there. Opportunity knocks, clearly.
At R135-million for the site of more than 16,000m2 in an area where a 120m2 flat can sell for R6-million, it was a steal.
A shining light? Acceptable behaviour? Surely not. Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is challenging the sale in court.
The second flashing light concerns Paper Video, a company co-owned by provincial premier Helen Zille's son. The provincial government allegedly rushed processes to ensure that the company obtained 150 new tablets, which have since been returned. This matter, in which Zille has denied any wrongdoing, is being investigated by the public protector.A third issue is acting Western Cape DA leader Bonginkosi Madikizela's swanky birthday party at the pricy One&Only hotel and his refusal to say who paid for it and who attended, although his partner, DA MEC for health Nomafrench Mbombo, organised it.
Zille's role in this event was odd. She has claimed to have investigated and to have a list of donors to the party, copies of all receipts pertaining to the party and a clearance that only one of the donors did work for Madikizela's department.
Surely, if the information shows it, she can easily prove everything is above board. But when asked to provide the information, Zille refused, citing legal advice.
The fourth concern is how the DA-dominated conduct committee of the provincial legislature is handling the case.After a rigorous start, DA MPL and committee chair Lennit Max was criticised by DA chief whip Mark Wiley, leading to an inquiry with all the punch of parliament's Nkandla probe - this time with roles reversed: the DA was protecting its leader and the ANC was seeking his exposure. Max has since quit as chair and the provincial registrar of members' interests has resigned.
With all these red, or at least amber, lights flashing, it is wise to remember Lord Acton's dictum that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely - even in the DA-controlled Western Cape.
• Joubert is deputy political editor..