Wanatu an example of how councils drive us to lawlessness

South Africans are, generally speaking, not people who often feel themselves bound by the constraints of law.

And we’re not talking only about robbers and rapists… there are many people who would describe themselves as “law-abiding” who don’t stick to the rules.

While this tendency to illegal behaviour can trace its roots back to the fact that South Africa is, effectively, just a big frontier mining town where everyone is out to get as much as they can, the other reality is that consequences are almost nonexistent.

Yet, with the case of the Afrikaans language e-hailing service Wanatu – which is embroiled in a legal battle with the City of Tshwane – there could well be another element involved in pushing people to cut legal corners.

ALSO READ: Court interdicts Tshwane from impounding Wanatu and other e-hailing service vehicles

And that is government incompetence, or the sheer laziness of our cadre-infested civil service.

The High Court in Pretoria has just interdicted the city from impounding Wanatu vehicles operating without permits.

Wanatu says it has been trying to obtain the permits since October last year, but there is a backlog on applications, which it lay at the door of the municipal authorities.

Unless we professionalise municipal services in this country, we will only encourage more lawlessness across the board.