Where is our moral compass as a nation?

South Africa is going through a period where nothing is sacred and where our morals can be negotiated. Norms and norms of public decency seem adrift. I am a child of the 80s. My childhood, to some extent even my adult life, was shaped by my parents and their guidance, leadership, morals and values. We are now in a time when corruption does not bother us and sex scandals, where ministers share girlfriends, are tabloid fodder on Sundays. Schools are now maternity wards as teen pregnancies continue to increase. ALSO READ: Rule of law in South Africa protects even those who scorn…

South Africa is going through a period where nothing is sacred and where our morals can be negotiated.

Norms and norms of public decency seem adrift.

I am a child of the 80s. My childhood, to some extent even my adult life, was shaped by my parents and their guidance, leadership, morals and values.

We are now in a time when corruption don’t bother us and sex scandals, where ministers share girlfriends, are Sunday tabloids.

Schools are now maternity wards like teenage pregnancies continues to rise.

ALSO READ: The rule of law in South Africa protects even those who despise it

Presidents and their families are sold to the highest bidder; femicide and infanticide are on the rise; and child molesters confess to drug use with their mothers – a mother introducing their child to the dangers of drug abuse.

Where is our moral compass as a nation? And if this is where we are, where are we going?

A few months ago I heard someone say on the radio that South Africa didn’t need law and order, but order and justice.

This thought has not left me. You see, how can you enforce the law if you don’t have order to begin with?

On paper we may have laws, but in reality we have a country that is on autopilot.

Perfect way to prove this, the former public protector who had to go to court to assert her powers against the president, of all people.

if the president violates the laws of the land – which he thinks can and should be modified to please him – how are the rest of us supposed to abide by these laws?

We cannot have laws that are merely decorative. Our laws must be rooted in truth and free from passion.

READ MORE: Survey ranks South Africa as the 70th most corrupt country

There should be no special treatment for the wealthy or inappropriate sympathies for those of underprivileged wallpapers†

The law must be consistent, not gender or racially biasedand there should be no white privilege.

Once we behave in an orderly manner, we can enforce the law no matter who the perpetrator is.

We cannot go on like this as a nation. But before we get the country involved, we have to start with our families, the men and women in the mirror.