Index ranks SA as slightly less corrupt

SOUTH Africa was rated slightly less corrupt‚ according to the latest corruption index‚ but it could have fared better had it not been for the state of capture report.

South Africa’s score on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index has improved slightly‚ moving one place up from 44 in 2015 to 45 last year. The index ranked 176 countries last year and noted that South Africa had shifted three places from 61 to 64.

A score of 0 is perceived as highly corrupt and 100 is seen as very clean.

Corruption Watch executive director David Lewis said South Africa’s improved position was as a result of the intensity of opposition to public corruption.

South Africa comfortably beat its Brics partners. Brazil‚ China and India all scored 40 and ranked 79 on the index‚ while Russia lagged far behind at 29‚ ranking 131 out of 176.

Lewis said South Africans should be concerned about Russia’s performance.

“This is the country that is strongly rumoured to be the government’s favoured partner in the proposed nuclear energy deal,” he said.

“Public procurement of this scale with a country as riven by corruption as Russia is guaranteed to import further corruption on a grand scale to this country.”

Botswana topped the African charts‚ followed by Cape Verde‚ Mauritius‚ Rwanda‚ Namibia and São Tomé and Principe.