1 February 2022
# Corruption is rife in South Africa, but the government already has the tools to stamp it out. This is the view of three experts following the latest reports on corruption in the country. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index report, released last week, shows efforts to curb corruption in the public sector have stagnated over the past 10 years. The State Capture Commissions’ first set of findings released last month paints a bleak picture. The Special Investigating Unit’s final report, also released last month, unearthed Covid-19 procurement corruption of more than 7.8-billion rand. Political analyst Roland Henwood says there are two main reasons why corruption continues unabated despite promises and commitments from leaders:
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He says corruption has been normalised as part of how our government functions. He adds that many of the institutions and processes established to uproot corruption are not empowered to act:
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Legal researcher at the Helen Suzman Foundation, Chris Fisher says some progress has been made.
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Fisher says the effective prosecution of corrupt officials will deter others.
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Corruption Watch’s Phemelo Khaas says South Africa has already made several commitments to fight corruption but needs to honour them with action:
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