Corruption in South Africa has reached unacceptable levels and is eroding the state's ability to ensure the socio-economic development of the country, recently declared Chief Justice Raymond Zondo in Boksburg (70 km from Pretoria).
Speaking at the national anti-corruption dialogue, Judge Raymond Zondo stated that the government must "close the taps of public procurement" to combat the corruption that is plaguing state institutions. "The levels of corruption in the country have reached alarming proportions, and unless something very radical and effective is done, we will soon lose confidence in our institutions," he warned.
He lamented that public procurement remains vulnerable to corruption, with millions of rand being looted every year. Zondo chaired the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture from August 2018 to June 2022, which revealed in a voluminous report that corruption had become systemic in all state administrations and involved high-ranking officials of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), including former President Jacob Zuma.
The Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Anele Gxoyiya, had previously emphasized that "corruption has become endemic in three spheres of the South African government and has infiltrated all institutions of the country." Corruption undermines democracy and public trust in the executive and has a negative impact on state services, as well as community and social development, she pointed out.
In early September, business leaders noted that large-scale corruption and "state capture" remain endemic within South African state-owned enterprises. Denouncing blatant levels of crime and corruption in the country, organized businesses established an anti-corruption guide for leaders, calling for the establishment of protection funds for whistleblowers.
