Former Saffers and some guys like De Kock told Australians to get on with it, when their players and crowds alike made personal trashy comments on Australian players, especially Warner and his wife who was expecting a baby at that time, their justification was that since Australian crowds are **** they are getting what they gave.
Cricket Australia gave some lip service but did nothing concrete in this, eventually Smith, Warner and the core leadership group decided they can go to any extent but they won't be leaving South Africa without winning that series which lead to the Sandpaper nonsense.
A pro-active board with well being of their players at heart, would have intervened and would have tried to work things out when things were simmering eventually leading to the sandpapergate.
Also it is far fetched to suggest that Australia were tampering the ball through that period and only got caught by some sharp sighted South African cameraman, because if that were the case such a thing won't have happened through a course of time, without the faster bowlers consenting to it.