Johannesburg – The South African has been named one of the most notorious corruption outbreaks in Africa alongside Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique.
According to a report by the law firm ENSafrica, corruption incidents have increased in South Africa to the extent that the phenomenon “seems out of control.”
Presenting the 2015 report of his study, Steven Powell, noted that corruption is taking root in the municipalities and in several government departments.
“We have to stop this bleeding,” said Powell, noting that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) concluded in a recent report that lawyers play a key role in the spread of corruption because of contracts they write the profits of companies and other institutions.
The OECD report, while welcoming the adoption by the South African laws against corruption, deplored the persistence of this problem, Powell said, noting that only 10 pc of South African companies comply with anti-corruption legislation .
The South Africa is, according to him, facing a challenge to manage the risks of corruption and its impact on the business climate.
The official noted that governments worldwide have intensified fight against this phenomenon efforts, citing the example of the USA where six billion dollars were generated through the implementation of anti-corruption laws in the past five years.
Other countries like the United Kingdom, Brazil, China and Russia have followed suit to the Americans, he said, warning that the American and British investors begin to turn its back on South Africa due to become rampant corruption, said Dave Loxton, ENSafrica expert within the firm.
A country like Zimbabwe starts to look more attractive to these investors, he said.
Furthermore, a report published in January by the Institute of Internal Auditors concluded that corruption has cost South Africa over 700 billion rands ($ 1 = 12.50 rand) over the past 20 years .
On the government side, continuously stressed that the country has laws that can protect against the corruption.
“Southern Africa has a strong anti-corruption architecture”, recently said the South African presidency, stressing that “through cooperation between government, the private sector and non-governmental organizations, we will be able to make a difference in the eradication of corruption. ”
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