Alec Hogg: Upside to South Africa’s chaos

When you're in the middle of a storm, it's hard to see past the moment. Instead, one battens down the hatches, prioritising survival until a new dawn breaks.

The chaos in KZN is very personal for those who live there – evidenced through communications with those of us raised in the province. We are hearing from family and friends under unprecedented pressure. Suddenly our loved ones are spending their nights serving their communities. Ordinary folk have been mobilised into defending property against potential attacks from hordes of looters. On the flip side, having been left to fend for themselves, law-abiding citizens are already questioning the sense of paying taxes to those conspicuously absent during their hour of need.

Over the past couple days I've also interviewed some who predicted what is now unfolding. The biggest surprise is their shared optimism which shines through towards the end of the interviews. Famously Casandric Frans Cronje says he is now genuinely excited about the future of SA. Impressive Piet le Roux of Sakeliga says this is a watershed with civil society filling the vacuum of a dysfunctional governance system. Equally up-beat Connie Mulder, who heads Solidarity's Research Institute, speaks of the emergence of a new social structure emerging, a federalist country of what he calls "communities of communities".

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