Rédaction Africa Links 24 with AFP
Published on 2024-01-30 10:17:10
South Africa’s corruption perception index has hit a 12-year low, falling below the global average, according to global corruption watchdog Transparency International on January 30.
The local chapter of Transparency International, Corruption Watch, reported that South Africa scored its lowest ever at 41 on the index since they started tracking it 12 years ago. The country’s image has been marred by economic struggles and allegations of corruption and cronyism, especially with a general election coming up later in the year.
Support for the ruling African National Congress has dropped below 50 percent, marking a significant dip as the election campaign intensifies. South Africa is among 23 countries that recorded their lowest-ever scores this year, placing them in the category of flawed democracies, as highlighted by the Corruption Watch statement.
The report also revealed that 80 percent of the global population lives in countries with scores below the global average of 43 on the corruption perception index, which tracks perceived levels of public-sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople.
Karam Singh, the executive director of Corruption Watch, expressed frustration at the lack of justice for those implicated in public corruption scandals despite the extensive exposure through processes like the Zondo Commission and media investigations.
The report also highlighted the apparent inability of governments worldwide to curb the spread of corruption, sounding the alarm on the issue.
South Africa’s standing on the global index places it alongside Burkina Faso, Vietnam, and Kosovo. The country’s narrative of rising inequality and injustice over the past 30 years since apartheid paints an appalling picture, according to Singh.
The Zondo Commission in South Africa exposed widespread corruption during former President Jacob Zuma’s nine-year tenure, but there has been little progress in prosecuting those involved. President Cyril Ramaphosa was handed the final report of a four-year investigation into corruption under the Zuma administration in June 2022, but significant action is yet to be seen.
Overall, the report paints a grim picture of South Africa’s struggle with corruption and the failure to bring the perpetrators to justice.
