We must build a society in which corruption cannot take root

Dear Fellow South African, 

Just over a week ago, the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council (NACAC) handed over its final report at the conclusion of its three-year term. The Council was set up in 2022 to guide the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and to strengthen the state’s anti-corruption architecture. 

The report includes a recommendation to establish a permanent, independent, overarching anti-corruption body. The Council recommends that this body be known as the Office of Public Integrity and Anti-Corruption and that its mandate be to prevent, investigate and remedy systemic corruption. The proposed body, which responds to one of the key recommendations of the State Capture Commission, would be expected to both fight corruption and prevent it from happening in the first place. 

The NACAC report also makes recommendations on the strengthening and coordination of law enforcement agencies, enhanced coordination mechanisms among the different law enforcement agencies, the use of Artificial Intelligence to prevent corruption and the establishment of an anti-corruption data sharing framework.

These recommendations will be thoroughly reviewed by the relevant government institutions for tabling and deliberation in Cabinet.

The work of NACAC makes it clear that the fight against corruption is complex, multi-faceted and protracted. This fight requires the dismantling systems of patronage that have become entrenched over many years. It requires strengthening state capacity to handle complex cases and closing regulatory loopholes that have enabled corruption to flourish. 

We need to tackle public and private sector corruption with equal energy. Tax evasion, market manipulation, inflated contracts and tender collusion by businesses significantly harm our economy, yet often receive less attention than corruption in public institutions. 

Amid daily reports of alleged corruption, South Africans want to see action. They want to see more arrests and convictions. 

We should therefore welcome the progress being made by our law enforcement agencies. Last week the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, and the Special Investigating Unit briefed Parliament on investigations into the South African Post Office, Postbank and the South African Social Security Agency, financial irregularities at water entities, an allegedly corrupt fuel tender, and graft at a number of municipalities. 

This year has seen a number of arrests linked to alleged corruption in Eskom, the South African Police Service, Transnet and in municipalities. While allegations of corruption within these important institutions are deeply disturbing, it is encouraging that they have been detected and that criminal action is being taken.

In July this year, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Working Group on Bribery noted that South Africa continues to make progress in detecting and investigating foreign bribery cases, and that “the resilience and commitment of individual government and law-enforcement officials, working in a multi-agency approach, has contributed to this progress”. 

We continue to make progress towards the removal of our country from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey-list. In June, FATF noted that South Africa has completed all 22 action plan items to combat money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. Exiting the grey-list is part of the fight against corruption and key to safeguarding the integrity of our financial system. 

Much of this work takes place behind the scenes. While there is a justifiable public expectation that there should be more convictions – including of those implicated in state capture – fighting corruption extends way beyond putting culprits in the dock. 

As the NACAC report points out, we need to pursue institutional reform to address the shortcomings in practices and systems that have enabled corruption to flourish. 

Corruption is much more than the result of the criminal intent of a few individuals be they government officials, elected public representatives or business people. It can become embedded in state institutions or business enterprises and manifest itself in practices and organisational culture. The success of our efforts relies on our ability to prevent corruption in the first place in state institutions, business enterprises or organs of civil society.

That is why we need to build transparent, accountable and ethical institutions – both public and private – in which corruption is unable to take root. We all need to work together to build a society characterised by responsibility and integrity.

With best regards,