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 Name and Surname: Xolisile Sithole

 Faculty: Economics Management Science
 Year of study: 3rd year
 Undergraduate category
 Corruption in South Africa

South Africa is a beautiful and one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. It has been over a
decade since South Africa has been declared a democratic country. Despite this ongoing celebration of
liberation and diversity, South Africa faces a horrible pandemic which has ravaged people’s lives, corruption.

Corruption is typically a misuse of power and position to get what you desire, often monetary and power gains.
Corruption can take many form but the results are often equally devastating, especially for the innocent and the
lower class. South Africans have a first hand experience of the effects of corruption especially in the
government sector. We hear about it every time in the media and we see its effects in our daily lives, but the
question is, is the government doing enough to combat it and what can we do as citizens to help fight against it?
As much we know that corruption is common, only few cases are being reported as we see on the statistics by
Business Tech, only 8% of bribery cases, 8% of nepotism and 12% of misuse of government funds have been
reported in 2021. According to the South African Government website, only 30 arrests have been made and 4
convictions. So looking at these statistics the question still remains, is the government doing enough, are we
doing enough as a society?

Corruption can take up many forms but the most common ones in our country and the ones that are going to be
discussed are : bribery, nepotism, misuse of government funds .

Bribery is an act of illegal monetary or gift exchange often between two or more parties in order to gain
favours. It happens in almost every where and unfortunately, it also happens in government sectors. This act is
allegedly often used by politicians to gain power or to move up in higher positions. The most heard of case of
bribery is the one done by traffic cops where they would stop suspicious vehicles in the roads and instead of
them doing their job as protectors of the country, they ask for a bribe or a “cold drink” as commonly known.
Not only is this act despicable but it seems like the society has gotten used to it and few cases have been
reported about it. Bribery has unfortunately found its way to the job market, where promotions and job positions
are not determined by qualifications but its about how deep your pockets are.

“Education is no longer a key to success but connections are.” These are the words the majority of the job
seeking youth would attest to. With unemployment rates always on the rise, one would wonder if education
plays a role in bettering the lives of South Africans or it is a who knows who situation. Nepotism is when family
members or close friends are given a job position in a company on a basis that they know the hiring manager or
someone in a higher position. More often, these people are unqualified for the job position. Not only does this
discourage people to be active in a job market, it also means inadequate job is being done by the unqualified
person it the position, especially in the government sector . According to Strictly Classified, employees might
be hiring less or unqualified individuals due to nepotism and that may lead to an organisation or a department
suffering. This shows that nepotism not only affects job seekers but also the company. It may also be the cause
behind many companies failing.

Misuse of government resources is one of the worst types of corruption as it is the reason why many South
Africans are suffering in poverty. It does not only affect the vulnerable but it also hinders the growth and
development of a country. Misuse of government funds is when government officials or people entrusted with
government funds to achieve a certain task misuse the funds for their own satisfaction. This is infuriating
because many people suffer while others with a power to help are wasting the resources meant to help those in
need. This also means that taxpayer’s money is being thrown in a drain because it doesn't do what it was meant
to do. According to (Davis, R 2018), “ Van Schalkwyk estimates that over 98% of irregular expenditure of
public funds in South Africa is not followed up in any meaningful way.” There are a lot of cases dating back
from years where government officials were accused of using funds for their own benefit. Some recent cases
include misuse of funds meant for Covid 19 PPE tenders. We often see the misuse of funds in local
municipalities where local communities don’t have an access to basic needs, have improper infrastructure while
local government officials are stinking rich. Misuse of funds can also have an impact on the education. Lack of
educational resources and infrastructure means that more people are not having quality education and this can
greatly impact their future.

Corruption is a challenge in South Africa because it is the number one contributor to poverty. The misuse of
funds and high unemployment rates will often lead to high crime rates and low levels of quality education.
Corruption also slows down the growth of the country and the growth of the economy. (Ofusori, A 2020) said
that, “ corruption has been linked to GDP, the higher the incidence of corruption in a country, the lower the
level of GDP.” Health care is also negatively affected by corruption in South Africa. A number of lives could
have been saved if only people focused on being ethical rather that feeding their greed. Mostly in rural areas,
there is a constant lack of medicine and clinics. This issue was even made worse by the Covid 19 pandemic.
Lives were lost because hospitals and clinics did not have enough equipment to assist patients but Covid 19 PPE
tenders were issued out. Without corruption, more rural areas where going to have access to clean water and
more schools. Improperly or cheaply built infrastructures are a risk to South African lives. They can collapse
anytime and kill countless lives and that shows that corrupt people lack empathy and worry only about
themselves. Another thing that we might notice is that different forms of corruption can be interrelated for
example there is a link between bribery and nepotism and also between bribery and misuse of funds. The
reputation of a country is really important so if the country is known for corruption, this might discourage
foreign investment in a country and thus limiting its possibilities of thriving. Inequality can also be the results of
corruption. The rich may become richer while the poor become poorer. This will, of course, lead to many issues
like increased teenage pregnancy, drug use and overall a decline in the mental health of those affected
negatively by corruption.
There are ways in which corruption can be combated but it all starts with us as individuals. By refusing to
partake in any type of corruption and by reporting possible corruption, we are doing an important part in our
country. The government is also working tirelessly to fight against this by implementing acts and making sure
to prosecute those involved in this heinous act. As mentioned in the South African website, the government has
introduced initiatives like developing a National Anti Corruption Strategy which will focus on changing the
behaviour of the society with an aim to decrease corruption and in the National Development Plan(2030)
chapter 14, there are measures proposed to fighting corruption like placing a legislative framework to combat
corruption.There are several organisations that aims at fighting corruption in South Africa. These organisations
are:

 Hawks: Hawks is an investigation unit working with South African Police Service that deals with
investigating serious crimes like corruption, especially in large corporations and government sectors.
Hawks is famous for exposing criminals activities and we are all familiar with it. It has been operating
from 2008 and its existence has proved to be vital in the country.
 Corruption watch: Corruption watch is a NPO that aims at fighting corruption and creating a society
without corruption. It was founded in 2012 and it has since helped South Africans to come out and
expose corruption in their societies.
 Chapter nine institutions: Chapter 9 institutions aims to protect human rights and democracy of the
South African citizens. They include: - The public protector; The South African Human Right
Commission; The Commission of Gender Equality; The Auditor General; The Independent Electoral
Commission; An Independent Authority to Regulate Broadcasting and The Commission for the
Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities

These are all the organisations that are aiming at fighting corruption. You can visit their website if you see a
suspicious activity happening or you witness corruption, even victims of corruption are welcome to contact the
above mentioned organisations. As a society we all have a responsibility to fight against corruption. We can be
anonymous whistle-blowers and not in an internet age, we can expose corruption to a wider audience. There are
also a lot other organisations dealing with corruption that are not covered here.

UFS and other universities could respond effectively in fighting corruption by encouraging transparency in
things they do. They could also enforce measures and policies that ensures that everyone found participating in
corruption activities will be dealt with accordingly. Education and awareness about corruption may be also the
best approach. Making both staff and students aware about the impact of corruption how to respond to it will
surely make a difference in combating corruption in universities. Ensuring protection and anonymity for
witnesses and whistle-blowers of corruption will encourage people to confidently report cases of corruption
without fear. Also, universities must have strict anti-corruption guidelines that must be followed and respected
by everyone in any position.

In conclusion, corruption is an ultimate nation killer. It has not only affected millions of lives but it also
obstructs our country. Although there are organisations or measures that the government is taking to help
combat corruption, it all starts with us as individuals to help fight against this. The fight for corruption may be
far from over but it is possible if we stand together in unity to say no to corruption.

References

 Business Tech (2020). The most common types of corruption.

https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/573484/the-most-common-types-of-corruption-in-south-
africa/ accessed 9 May 2022
 Corruption Watch( date not available). About Corruption Watch.
https://www.corruptionwatch.org.za/about-us/who-we-are/about-corruption-watch/ Accessed 9 May
2022
 Davis R (2018). No consequence for 98% of misuse of public money in South Africa . Available at:
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-11-21-no-consequences-for-98-of-misuse-of-public-
money-in-sa/ accessed 30 April 2022
 Mueni p (2019). Hawks South Africa: Everything you need to know about Hawks crime unit.
https://briefly.co.za/46631-hawks-south-africa-everything-hawks-crime-unit.html accessed 9 May 2022
 Ofusori A ( 2020). Impact of corruption on economic growth in South Africa, DDP Admin. Available at:
https://ddp.org.za/blog/2020/10/06/implication-of-corruption-on-economic-growth-in-south-africa/
Accessed 30 April 2022
 Parliamentary Monitoring Group( date not available). State institutions which support Constitutional
Democracy. https://pmg.org.za/page/state-institutions-supporting-democracy accessed 9 May 2022
 South African Government( date not available) . Anti corruption. https://www.gov.za/anti-corruption-E
accessed 9 May 2022
 Strictly Classified( no date). Workplace Nepotism. Published by The Personnel Commission.