Impunity Must Fall

If there is anything in South Africa that is overdue for a fall, it must surely be impunity. Wherever we care to look, from our head of State, Cabinet ministers, high-ranking officials in most of our government departments and state owned entities, right down to the students disrupting higher education across the country, it seems as though no one is held accountable for their actions. Even in instances where legal action is taken, court rulings - even those made by the Supreme and Constitution courts - are simply ignored. We have no organisation or individuals who seem to have the will to, or are capable of enforcing them. Physics tells us that objects fall when they come under the influence of gravity. The gravity of our situation in South Africa thanks to this lack of accountability and consequences, has resulted in a society in free fall, where the actions of a few are having devastating effects on the many.

Irrespective of their cause, some of our students appear to have learned more from our dysfunctional society than they have in our institutions of higher learning. They act, knowing they are immune from prosecution for any of their illegal actions in pursuit of their objectives. Furthermore, they seem particularly unwilling to submit to a referendum as to whether academic activities should continue while the fee issue is debated. Presumably they suspect, along with most observers, that they are by far in the minority. Do we really want a situation in which the will of a minority group is enforced by violence and intimidation upon the majority? Does anyone remember Apartheid?

I do. I was at Wits in the early 80’s when students were protesting against it. Somehow they managed to be part of the force for change without depriving a large proportion of society of desperately needed education.