Sometimes you just have to listen to the news. Don’t analyse. Just listen. And suddenly you realise that things have changed. Not a lot, but there is a shift. Those who for the past 10 years thought they were untouchable are now realising that their age of impunity is over. Or it will soon be.

On Friday, a full bench of the Pietermaritzburg High Court dismissed former president Jacob Zuma’s application for a permanent stay of prosecution for his arms deal corruption charges. That means that Zuma will appear at the same court on Tuesday to face charges of fraud, money laundering, racketeering and corruption relating to bribes he may have received to protect crooked arms dealers and their beneficiaries. The three judges who presided over the case spent less than five minutes delivering their judgment...