Policing and Covid-related malfeasance ranked top in SA in Corruption Watch report
A new report by Corruption Watch places Covid-19 related malfeasance second on the list of problem areas in the country.
The organisation released its 2021 corruption report on Tuesday morning.
The report reveals the extent to which corruption has continued unabated during the first half of this year, with close to 2000 whistle-blowers reporting acts of corruption in both the public and private sectors.
A majority of the complaints were recorded in Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
The policing sector remains one of the country’s corruption “hot-spots”, topping the report at 12%.
The policing sector ranked first in 2019 as well, with the figure almost identical in both years.
Head of Campaign at Corruption Watch Kavisha Pillay says the statistics show a stark reality.
“Reports received by the organisation ranged from extortion and abuse of authority by the police, school principals extorting sexual favours from temporary teachers to safeguard their jobs, and Covid-19 related graft, highlighting the collusion between the public and private sectors. These represent some of the key hotspots over this period.
“Also prevalent was corruption related to procurement and maladministration in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, including mismanagement of funds like the temporary employment relief scheme intended to provide support (8%), followed by corruption in public schools (6%) and public housing (4%). It is alarming that corruption with respect to the distribution of food parcels still features during this time,” Pillay said.
She added government’s response to fraud, corruption and abuse of authority remains slow.
“The impact on the majority of people in the country of this failure to act cannot be underestimated, as they continue to be denied access to basic rights and services, and deprived of much-needed protection.”
Pillay admitted there are some setbacks in exposing corruption because of the threats to whistle blower.
“The vulnerability of whistle-blowers in South Africa needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency if there is to be any meaningful shift in the efforts to eradicate corruption. As key role-players in dismantling patterns of abuse and impunity by the corrupt, whistle-blowers deserve commitment and support from the highest echelons of power to ensure their safety, and to create an environment that encourages reporting corruption,” said Pillay.
“It will take all sectors of society coming together to make serious inroads in tackling the corruption that occurs at every layer of public and private authority in the country. This is the least that is owed to the people represented in this report, who have demonstrated courage in stepping up, driven by their belief in a corruption-free South Africa.”
Listen to Pillay breakdown the report below:
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