The anarchy that has enveloped KwaZulu-Natal and affected Gauteng has come as a surprise to many, including those who run the country, but it should not have. Its seeds were sown more than a decade ago.

It was in February 2009 that then-president Kgalema Motlanthe addressed a joint sitting of parliament, in his only state of the nation address (Sona). Motlanthe outlined some of the successes the ANC government had achieved since 1995. It was an impressive list...