Bribery not as prevalent as perceived

This is according to the inaugural South African Citizens’ Bribery Survey 2015 wherein the majority of participants assumed they would not make it through life without paying a bribe, yet had very rarely met anyone who actually needed to do so.

“The results show there is a disconnect between our perception of bribery and reality,” said Massmart spokesperson Refilwe Boikanyo.

“Despite eight out of 10 survey respondents believing that it’s difficult to navigate daily life without paying a bribe, the survey reveals only 26 [percent] of them know of someone who was asked to pay a bribe in the past 12 months.”

Boikanyo’s Massmart, along with Walmart, had sponsored the survey which was conducted by non-profit the Ethics Institute of South Africa.

Massmart’s chairperson Kuseni Dlamini explained the retail giant’s involvement: “At Massmart we are committed to acting responsibly and doing business the right way. We have invested significantly in promoting a culture of integrity within our organisation but also believe that we should play a broader anti-corruption role in our society, hence our sponsorship of the South African Citizens’ Bribery Survey.”

The survey was carried out in Massmart stores in four provinces – Western Cape, Limpopo, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal – and saw the participation of 6,380 South Africans. Participants were grouped across all income levels with 26 percent categorised as low-income.

Of these participants, only 26 percent said they knew someone who had been asked to pay a bribe. Of these, 75 percent had ended up paying the bribe.

According to the survey, 48 percent of Limpopo respondents said they knew someone who was approached for a bribe compared to KZN’s 26 percent, Gauteng’s 25 percent, and the Western Cape’s 19 percent. However, it should be noted that the number of Limpopo participants only made up eight percent of those surveyed compared to KZN’s 39 percent and Gauteng’s 38 percent.

The most frequently paid amount for bribes was R100 while the most common reason for paying a bribe was to avoid a traffic fine, while securing employment was the next.

Bribery for employment was not limited to the public sector, the results found. Of known paid bribes for employment, 47 percent was in the private sector. In both the private and public though, unskilled and semi-skilled labourers were the most vulnerable, particularly in the construction sector.

On this, the survey’s author Kris Dobie commented: “These are not people bribing out of greed, but out of the need for very basic jobs. It is a reflection of the desperation of many in our society and an uncomfortable reminder that the adage ‘bread first, morals later’ might hold true.”

However, said Dobie, “while some bribe for survival this is not the case for most”, as indicated by payment for traffic offences.

Dobie added that 74 percent of participants said they believed citizens could do something to stop bribery although they conceded it was a difficult task to carry out in reality. - ANA