SA is broken. The last year has proven that our country is far from secure and that the state’s intelligence networks are almost non-existent. From the July riots — which found our police hopelessly ill-prepared and unable to respond to such attacks — to the blaze at the parliamentary precinct last week, SA is in a perpetual state of dysfunction.

Much like the July riots, which saw billions of rand in destruction in a week along with the loss of many jobs, the cost to reconstruct parliament could reach R1bn.  And it emerged in a Sunday Times report that the bill would have to be footed by taxpayers as the houses of parliament have no insurance cover...