Anti-corruption efforts are floundering, survey shows
GLOBAL anti-corruption movement Transparency International’s recent Corruption Perceptions Index, which measures perceptions of public sector corruption around the world, is discouraging as it shows South Africa slipping one point in the rankings.
The country has over the past 11 years barely shifted its position, which local advocacy group Corruption Watch, Transparency International’s local chapter, has been tracking.
“Now ranked at 43, the country is back where it started in 2012, with very little upward movement over the past decade,” Corruption Watch said in a press release.
“It is important to note, however, that the index measures perceptions of corruption, and not actual corruption that is experienced in countries across the world.
“In this regard, perceptions may differ from the current reality in South Africa, where there has been some forward momentum by law enforcement agencies in curbing and combating corruption,” it added.
Using data from 13 external sources reflecting the views of country experts and surveys of businesspeople, the report ranked 180 countries and territories around the world based on perceptions of public sector corruption on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
The global average remains at 43, indicating that more than two-thirds of countries score below 50, which Corruption Watch said showed a serious problem with corruption, and that most countries had made little to no progress in tackling corruption in more than 10 years. The recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and growing security threats can be said to be at the root of a new wave of uncertainty and greater instability in the world in general.
However, the 2022 report painted a disturbing picture of an increasingly dangerous world, highlighting the link between corruption and conflict globally, and the threat that corruption poses to peace and security.
“The annual index represents an opportunity for countries to redeem themselves by demonstrating a tangible shift in addressing their corruption problems.
“However, we are assailed each year by the failure of governments, our own included, to be seen to be advancing anti-corruption efforts,” said Karam Singh, executive director of Corruption Watch.
“The fact that South Africa has slipped to a point at a time when there appears to be some momentum in bringing the corrupt to book, following the findings of the Zondo Commission reports, is particularly galling. It is hardly comforting that we have leaders paying lip service to the anti-corruption agenda in an environment that is not just hostile but extremely dangerous for whistleblowers and those activists seeking to address the huge inequality and injustices wrought by corruption.”
Whistle-blowers and activists in South Africa and the southern African region, as has been seen too often recently, face real threats to their physical safety and even their lives, Singh added.
“Part of making a breakthrough in the fight against corruption involves squarely addressing the plight of whistle-blowers and providing them with greater protection and support in terms of physical safety, psycho-social support, financial incentives, and legal protections.”
The report said in South Africa, one can point to some of the recommendations in the Zondo Commission reports as a step in the right direction towards facing the country’s corruption challenges head-on.
There is also acknowledgement both in the recommendations of the Zondo Commission and in the president’s response that South Africa’s anti-corruption architecture, particularly when it comes to enforcement, requires an overhaul.
There has also been some encouraging progress in advancing implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which advocates a whole-of-society approach to countering corruption in South Africa, further propelled by the appointment towards the end of last year of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council (NACAC) to drive the process forward.
“The appointment of the NACAC gives a faint glimmer of hope at a time when people see very little to be hopeful about,” said Singh. “The NACAC represents a real possibility of ensuring that there is movement in finally securing the anti-corruption measures that the country so desperately needs.”