Corruption is one of the biggest obstacles to South Africa’s growth and development.
Corruption is one of the biggest obstacles to South Africa’s growth and development.
Corruption undermines the trust that people have in the public sector to act for the best. It is a waste of taxpayer funds, which can be used for the delivery of services, and leads to financial loss, damage to employee morale and the reputation of the institution and leads to increased scrutiny, supervision and regulation.
The South African government says it is trying to fight corruption in various ways. Among the measures taken was the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture, which exposed institutional weaknesses. Task teams have been created in several provinces to deal with extortion and violence at construction sites. The Financial Intelligence Center Fusion Center was established to deal with fraud and corruption in the procurement of goods and services related to Covid. The National Anti-Corruption Strategy has been adopted and the Political Party Funding Act will help regulate the public and private funding of political parties.
However, the impact of corruption goes beyond the weakness of institutions, it depends heavily on corrupt individuals. South Africa does not have an effective system to deal with corrupt individuals, therefore, they continue to be in power, not prosecuted for their corrupt practices and it becomes difficult to trace and recover stolen funds.
First, an overlooked, but perhaps most important, reason why South African politicians and leaders are corrupt is because most of them suffered from socio-political trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of apartheid. Most of the leaders who hold positions of power in South Africa are involved in the struggle to achieve democracy, which means that they are experiencing severe social and economic shocks, stress and are not excluded.
As a coping mechanism, these leaders may engage in the practice of hiring as a way to build personal reserve funds against economic uncertainty, especially given South Africa’s poor economic situation. It may be an unthought-of means of increasing personal security and resilience against future economic shocks and stress.
According to Norman and Aviisah, a political economy that seems to be in constant agitation and upheaval can be a traumatic ecosystem that can produce a psychosis similar to PTSD, although these conditions can be modified over time.
Considering the challenges and systemic pressures on South Africa’s national economy, the prospect of changing their behavior is slim. If this is the case, then the act of hiring and the act of corruption in South Africa will get worse.
Secondly, any South African politician or leader who engages in corrupt activities is because they think they can get away with it. If they know that they will be seen, found or caught and have to face the consequences of their criminal actions, they will probably think twice before attempting to commit a corrupt act.
It shows the system, the checks and balances, and the ineffective law enforcement to deal with the problem, making it open season for all who want to claim piles of money they are not entitled to.
The government must review its systems and procedures to ensure that loopholes are closed and transparency, from the local to the national level, is possible. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological innovations can help countries to close these gaps.
Third, South African politicians and leaders are involved in financial crimes, fraud and corruption due to personal greed. They want more and don’t care how they get it.
Earning more the honest way requires hard work, risk taking, dedication and time. For greedy people, it’s too much to ask, so they find a way to make a pile of money quickly and easily, in a dishonest way.
It shows the values of the country’s leaders – the level of honesty, sense of right and wrong, sense of justice, work ethic and moral compass.
Those who lack these positive values and others are prime candidates for corrupt activities. With corruption rampant in many institutions, it is very important to provide the means to identify and remove people during the internal elections of political parties and the electoral process. If political parties are not careful in their deployment and internal elections, they will lose public support.
Fourth, the fact that “if you can’t beat them, join them” is something that countries don’t talk about enough. Leaders commit corruption because others do and get away with it. When ethical leaders see that it is easy to do a dodgy deal and get away with it, they are also encouraged to try their luck because ethics are difficult to maintain in a corrupt system.
This speaks to the country’s culture has been nurtured, or allowed, in the public sector. The lack of public accountability has gone to ensure that leaders uphold some form of ethics in the public interest.
Finally, there is a thought about the influence of power on the leaders. A simple distinction can be made between the two forms of power. On the one hand, leaders use their power to accomplish things. The power of socialization is the power that is used to benefit others. I wish elected officials had this kind of power and were primarily concerned with the interests of their constituents. Another form of power is personal power, and the use of power for personal gain.
Therefore, the two forms of power are not mutually exclusive, leaders can use their power to benefit others, but they can also gain personal gain. The obvious problem is when personal power dominates and leader benefits become gregarious and often to the detriment of those they serve.
Robert Caro asserts that “power is not always broken… power is always open. If you have enough power to do what you want, then you will see what the person wants”. In other words, it is about how South African leaders use authority that reveals their character – selfish leaders hoard power for personal gain, while servant leaders show power for social good. The ultimate test of character for those in power is how they treat those without.
South African leaders do not use the power and influence they have for the good of the country. Corrupt people must be dealt with, as opposed to generalizing corruption and blaming it only on the weakness of institutions.
Karabo Mokgonyana is an award-winning legal and development practitioner and program director for Fellowship Sessions and Skill Hub, a women and youth-led organization that provides mentoring and skills development for young women.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official policy or position Mail & Guardians.