SA slithers on slippery slope of corruption
November 19, 2009
By Nontyatyambo Petros
Looking at Transparency International's corruption perception index of the past six years, South Africa's public sector is seen as becoming progressively more corrupt. In 2004, the country ranked 46 out of 145 surveyed. We retained the selfsame spot the following year, even after the inclusion of another 13 countries such as Cambodia, Chad, Gabon, Gambia and Laos.
We slipped in the ranking in 2006, coming in at 51 out of £ countries before taking position 43 out of 179 countries the following year. But since then we have been on a slippery slope, with perceptions of corruption in the country growing, resulting in us being placed at number 54 in 2008 and 55 this year.
In reality this may of course be very far from the truth and corruption may not be growing as a problem. But I think that may just be wishful thinking. Perception or not, the trend is worrying. Examples of corrupt public servants are plentiful: Travelgate; more than 2 000 public servants who awarded government contracts to themselves, friends and families; certain Land Bank officials who enriched themselves instead of helping aspiring farmers. The list is much longer and I invite you to add to it.
The trouble with public sector corruption is that it reduces the quality of life for all. Public infrastructure and services are compromised, government expenditure is distorted while tax revenues can get reduced. In other words, corruption has the power to undermine efforts to create a more caring society. Funds that should be used to build and maintain schools, clinics, hospitals and roads instead line the pockets of undeserving public servants.
What is also unpalatable about public sector corruption is that it is committed by people who already have steady incomes. The perpetrators are already fairly well-remunerated, with good salaries, car allowances and access to good medical facilities. Those they are robbing from are the people who actually fund the public sector and the have-nots who rely on the government to keep the wolf from the door.
The South African private sector is not squeaky clean either. According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study on economic crimes reported in the private sector last year, South Africa had the second highest level of corporate fraud out of 54 countries surveyed. We were only beaten by Russia on this front.
Frankly, there have been so many cases of collusion and price-fixing that I would not be surprised if competition authorities found evidence of cartel behaviour in industries other than the ones we already know about. I don't even want to start about the corporate bosses who have been living the high life stealing from shareholders and other funders.
Even our sports have had their share of foul play. Who can forget about the match-fixing saga, which ended the illustrious career of Hansie Cronje and tarnished the image of several other cricketers. In soccer, Operation Dribble was launched in 2004 to investigate allegations of match-fixing and bribery. More than 40 arrests were made. But what came of these investigations remains unclear. Only a few insignificant small players were hung out to dry, leaving the kingpins untouched.
It's not too difficult to see why the country seems to becoming fertile ground for corruption and fraud. There's a lot of talk about a zero-tolerance approach to these cancers, but the consequences for those who get caught have not always matched the tough talk. In the meantime, we continue to become a society where public trust is broken so often, many times by our very own leaders.
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