A protester holds a poster during the 2017 Zuma Must Fall March.file photo
South Africa's steady decline in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows that corruption is entrenched, many political establishments are involved, and the state's ability to prosecute perpetrators is dire. ing.
This is the analyst's reaction to the latest CPI 2023 report, released on Tuesday, which finds that a global decline in justice and the rule of law, from Europe and the Americas to the Americas, It showed that the country's index score deteriorated along with several other countries. Since 2016, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
“The rise of authoritarianism in some countries is contributing to this trend, weakening the mechanisms that restrain governments even in democratic contexts. “They are weakening the judicial system, restricting civil liberties, and relying on undemocratic strategies to deal with recent challenges, including the infectious disease pandemic,” the CPI's 2023 report said.
The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories based on their perceived level of public sector corruption, according to experts and businesspeople. A scale of 0 to 100 is used. 0 is very corrupt and 100 is clean.
South Africa was ranked 72nd out of 180 countries, tied with Burkina Faso, Vietnam and Kosovo, with a score of 41 (down from 43rd in 2022), while China and Cuba scored slightly better at 42. Seychelles' 71 points were the highest in the world. sub-Saharan Africa.
Denmark topped the world rankings for the sixth consecutive year with a score of 90, closely followed by Finland and New Zealand with scores of 87 and 85 respectively. This year, Norway (84), Singapore (83), Sweden (82), Switzerland (82), the Netherlands (79), Germany (78) and Luxembourg (78) are in the top 10.
Countries experiencing conflict, with severely restricted freedoms and weak democratic institutions tended to have worse scores. Somalia (11), Venezuela (13), Syria (13) and South Sudan (13) are at the bottom of the index, followed by Yemen (16), Nicaragua (17), North Korea (17) and Haiti (17). Equatorial Guinea (17th), Turkmenistan (18th) and Libya (18th) are the lowest.
Chris Hattingh, executive director of the Center for Risk Analysis, said South Africa's rankings “show that corruption is becoming more entrenched and clearly difficult to change.”
“The lack of prosecution of the biggest players in the 'state capture' story is reinforcing the public perception that not much is being done on corporations and corruption,” Hattingh said.
He said former president Jacob Zuma's “relatively quick release” had further reinforced the idea that some people were being allowed to play by different rules. “If you have enough money and political connections, you could experience a different kind of 'rule of law.'
“Changing corruption, particularly in government and the public service, will be a long-term project for South Africa and should be focused on and invested in through numerous elections and changes. Short-term expectations are probably unrealistic. , will only lead to further disillusionment and frustration.”
He said countries need to ensure accountability and prosecution of corrupt practices in difficult economic conditions and rising debt costs.
“Rising debt servicing costs mean governments will have to cut spending, which could have a negative impact on police forces, corruption prosecution efforts, intelligence services and capabilities, etc. South Africa, where confidence in the country is declining, will not be spared from this impact.
Hattingh said the longer the economic difficulties persist (growth could be limited to 1.5% this year), the more dissatisfied the public will be with the government and the status quo.
“It can involve contempt or complete disregard for the rule of law, especially by actors who seek to exploit public discontent and desire for any kind of action or change,” he said.
End Tax Abuse chief executive Wayne Duvenage said it was “interesting” to note that South Africa had continued to “regress” on corruption indicators over the past few years.
“In 2021 we had a low score of 44. Unfortunately in 2022 we dropped another two points to 42, and this year our score has dropped again to 41,” Duvenage said. .
“This shows that this country is getting worse at a time when it should be getting better. Our president came to power on a ticket to fight corruption and we have achieved significant results from the Zondo Commission of Inquiry. Exposure of corruption, given that
Duvenage said he did not believe the ANC had the political will to seriously tackle the fight against corruption.
“This is a reflection of two main reasons: one is the government's inability to lead and strive for an efficient criminal justice system, and the other is that the majority of those in positions of political power That's part of the problem,” he said.
