Corruption in South Africa has reached unacceptable levels, undermining the state’s ability to promote the country’s socio-economic development, said Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on Thursday in Boksburg, located 70 km from Pretoria.
Speaking at the national anti-corruption dialogue, Mr. Zondo emphasized the need for the government to « close the taps on public procurement » to combat the corruption that plagues state institutions. He warned that alarming levels of corruption in the country could erode trust in institutions unless radical and effective measures are taken. He also lamented the persistent vulnerability of public procurement to corruption, with millions of rands being diverted each year.
Between August 2018 and June 2022, Mr. Zondo chaired the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, which revealed in a comprehensive report that corruption had become systemic in all state administrations, involving senior officials of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), including former President Jacob Zuma.
The chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Anele Gxoyiya, emphasized that corruption had become endemic in three spheres of the South African government, infiltrating all institutions in the country. She underscored that corruption undermines democracy, public trust in the executive, and has negative impacts on state services, as well as community and social development.
In early September, business leaders highlighted the persistence of large-scale corruption and « state capture » within South African state-owned enterprises. Organized businesses condemned blatant levels of crime and corruption in the country, proposing an anti-corruption guide for leaders and calling for the establishment of protection funds for whistleblowers.