SA has lost its moral compass and we need to redirect ourselves

We are living in times of moral decay which should leave us very afraid of the times in which our children are growing up.

Televangelist Timothy Omotoso in the dock of the Port Elizabeth High Court. Picture: ANA

There is something amiss with the moral compass of our society.

We are, as a society, headed the wrong way and we need to redirect ourselves before we reach a point of no return.

We are living in times of moral decay which should leave us very afraid of the times in which our children are growing up. We have to ask ourselves what are they learning?

Headlines this past week have been nothing but bleak – from the VBS Bank heist to the trial of pastor Timothy Omotoso, from the shooting of the reaction officers in Klipspruit to the ongoing commissions of inquiry.

How do we remedy the ills that are plaguing us as a people, as a nation?

While the far-reaching consequences of apartheid remain a contributing factor to the socio-economic conditions of our time, we cannot use that as an excuse until the end of time.

We must understand that while the perpetrators of apartheid were guided by their beliefs, we have to rise above the after-effects of the stigma.

The poverty and the skewed educational system, the amassing of generational wealth by one race over the other. These are the aftereffects of apartheid.

When a 28-year-old man and his friends decide that their activity for the day will be to drive around in a minibus taxi raping women in the presense of their mothers, can we still blame apartheid?

While as a society we want to bemoan the price of fuel and the VAT increases, while we share memes on the Guptas, Jacob Zuma, Cyril Ramaphosa, et al, we forget about our checks and balances in our own homes, on our children, husbands, brothers and fathers.

As I watched the video of two reaction officer being shot by two young men for their firearms, it hit me that our conscience is dead and buried.

Is this why the Hector Petersons lost their lives, the Walter Sisulus and Nelson Mandelas lived for years behind bars, why the Steve Bikos were beaten to death?

As a country we have sacrificed so much for our freedom, but too many people are drunk on a freedom that is out of control.