Rule of law in South Africa is under threat

There is a blatant disregard for the rule of law.

From the lowest-ranking members of society to those entrusted with steering the ship, corruption and lawlessness reflect a nation that has seemingly abandoned accountability.

We have become accustomed to individuals who exploit their positions, disregard their obligations and flout the very laws they are expected to uphold.

The evidence emerging from Madlanga and Zondo commissions points to individuals who have allegedly sold the country’s interests through corrupt procurement practices and tenderpreneurship.

What should be a way for service delivery has, in too many instances, become an opportunity for manipulation and personal enrichment.

Perhaps the greatest indictment of our democracy is that consequences remain uncertain, seemingly determined not by the offence committed, but by who commits it.

Home Affairs, the Border Management Authority, the department of correctional services and licensing departments are just a few institutions where civil servants are drawn into criminality in exchange for a “cool drink”.

Whether it is a bribe to secure a document, bypass a procedure or expedite a service, corruption has become an everyday transaction in places meant to serve the public.

Some feel compelled to cheat the system, convinced that the people behind the computers have rigged it against them.

Yet, in these seemingly insignificant transactions, something far greater is at stake: our collective integrity.

Every bribe paid reinforces a system that thrives on dishonesty.

When confronted with the choice to participate or resist, one’s character is revealed. Are we part of the problem, or merely victims of it?

The scandals exposed over the past year are heartbreaking.

A deputy national police commissioner, a former speaker of the National Assembly and minister of defence and police officials have faced criminal proceedings or allegations.

This cannot – and should not – become normalised.

When those entrusted with upholding the law are themselves implicated in its violation, what message does that send to the citizen?

The absence of consequences creates an environment in which lawlessness flourishes.

On our streets, undocumented individuals and those involved in social grant fraud operate within a system perceived as incapable of enforcing its laws.

When accountability appears selective, disregard for the law becomes easier to justify.