Corruption Watch has released its annual 2017 report, which reveals how corruption has impact South Africa last year. Cape Town is the third least corrupt city in the country.
From over 20 000 reports of corruption 5 344 were lodged in 2017 alone. Most reports originate from the Gauteng province (46%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 13%, and Cape Town coming in third with 8%.
The report is titled The Time Is Now and details a 25% increase in the number of reports in corruption in 2017. This ranks South Africa as number 71 on the corruption list.
Corruption Watch’s executive director, David Lewis, said 2017 was a landmark year, but was only reached through great effort by civil society, the media and an independent judiciary. He added that corruption cannot be overcome without the help of those who are willing to be whistle blowers.
The report clarifies that Gauteng is not the most corrupt due to actual corruption, but rather the size of its populace and level of economic activity.
Out of the total number of reports, 29% of alleged corruption is at national level, 22% at local government level and provincial government has a corruption level of 30%. The remaining 9% of corruption reports are lodged at private sector level, and 10% of the reports originate from unspecified sources.
The majority of corruption in South Africa stems from interference between the public and private sectors. The most common form of corruption is bribery, which equates to 27% of reports logged in 2017.
Embezzlement of funds accounts for 13%, followed by procurement irregularities. These are irregularities that occur when government purchases goods and services to service the public.
According to the report’s bribery section, 37% of respondents knew of someone who had asked for a bribe in the last year. A further 24% of respondents knew someone who had paid a year over the last year.
The five most common bribes include:
- Avoiding traffic fines (39%)
- Getting a driver’s licence (18%)
- Getting jobs (14%)
- Public services (8%)
- Police/criminal charges (7%)
Obtaining a tender is the most expensive bribe in the country, costing an average of R82 282.
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