The scenes of violence witnessed in parliament last week were a sad reminder of how the more things change, the more they stay the same.

We had not seen such chaos in the chambers since the days of former president Jacob Zuma, who left the office at the height of serious allegations of state capture. At the time, parliament – the legislative arm of the state – had degenerated into a farce and disgrace where decorum no longer existed and sittings were characterised by insults and brawls...