Youths form powerful weapon against corruption
CORRUPTION currently presents the largest challenge to South Africa’s socio-economic development. For once, civil society and all political parties seem to agree that reform is urgently required in order to bolster the country’s vulnerable culture of respect for human rights and boost confidence in its governance and economic prospects.
What form that reform should take is unfortunately neither simple nor evident. What is abundantly clear, though, is that any reform is bound to fail if our youth is left out of the process, says Prof Francis Petersen, rector and vice-chancellor of the University of the Free State.
One only has to glance through the news headlines every once in a while to realise that South Africa is in deep trouble. Corruption seems to have infiltrated every nook and cranny of society, leaving hardly any sector or institution untouched.
Although the scale of current corruption seems unprecedented, the phenomenon itself has been with us for a very long time. In South Africa, the colonial and apartheid eras had their fair share of it. The hope that democracy would herald a new era of pristine government was quickly thwarted, with the first major instance of grotesque public sector corruption in the form of the multibillion-dollar Arms Deal around 1999.
Former president Nelson Mandela said, towards the end of his term: “Our hope for the future depends also on our resolution as a nation in dealing with the scourge of corruption. Success will require an acceptance that, in many respects, we are a sick society.”
Corruption Watch attributes the high prevalence of corruption to “a leadership crisis where politicians and administrators are serving their personal, factional and private interests, rather than the interests of the people or the constitution”.
In the available literature, there seems to be a general consensus on the most common root causes of corruption all over the world: greed, high levels of market and political monopolisation, low levels of democracy, ethical bankruptcy, weak civil participation and low political transparency, high levels of bureaucracy and inefficient administrative structures, low press freedom and low economic freedom. Many of these causes can be ticked on the South African checklist, with our law enforcement bodies such as the SAPS and National Prosecuting Authority seemingly ill-equipped to stem the overwhelming tide.
There is, however, a significant group that is still largely not embroiled in corrupt practices and that has markedly less interest in maintaining the status quo. That group is our youth.
There is also a valuable set of characteristics that many young people in South Africa possess – often shaped by experience and circumstances. They have passion, resilience, drive, and innovation – traits that can help them make a success of whatever they decide to make their purpose. The fact that they are “digital natives” also means that they are perfectly positioned to find original, inventive ways to implement new technologies. Simply put, young people have what it takes to become anti-corruption champions.
Another incontrovertible fact: young people form a significant part of our South African population. The latest statistics released by Stats SA show that individuals in the 15-34 age category constitute 63,3% of our population. With 66,5% youth unemployment, they are also the group most affected by the ravishing effect of corruption on job creation.
And they are our future leaders. They have a vested interest in turning the tables on a scourge that is clouding their own horizons. Nothing is going to change if they do not become the agents of that change – ethical and socially responsive next generation leaders who can contribute to building a better world.
The University of the Free State (UFS) has launched an essay writing competition on corruption for students to propose meaningful and practical steps on how it can be combated. The competition is open to all registered UFS postgraduate students and finalyear undergraduate students on all three of our campuses in all disciplines and faculties. It is largely the result of our mandate to respond pro-actively to challenges in society and speak truth to power, and enhance accountability.
As an institution, we want to unequivocally denounce corruption. And we believe it is time to activate what is probably our greatest weapon in the fight against corruption: our youth.
To ensure the future sustainability of any anti-corruption efforts, it is vital that they become co-creators of solutions and not mere recipients of plans and policies in which they have played no part in creating. But they also need to know that their contribution will have a real impact.
Therefore, as important as it is to have initiatives such as this to create awareness, the true test lies in what we do with what they propose. We need to listen to them. And we need to follow up with real action should they come up with workable, practical solutions.
Because if we lose the buy-in of our youth, we have already lost the fight.
* Petersen is Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State