Page 46 - IRMSA Risk Report 2020

4.3.3
F AIL URE T O R OO T OUT DEEPLY ENTRENCHED C ORR UPTION

FACTIONS IN THE RULING PARTY, INADEQUATELY RESOURCED CHAPTER NINE INSTITUTIONS AND SLOW
REACTION TO FINDINGS FROM STATE COMMISSIONS (STATE CAPTURE ETC.) MAY RESULT IN SA NOT BEING ABLE
TO BRING FRAUD AND CORRUPTION UNDER CONTROL, WHICH MAY LEAD TO UNSUSTAINABLE BALANCE OF
PAYMENTS, NATIONAL BANKRUPTCY AND EVENTUALLY A FAILED STATE.

SCENARIOS FLAGS RISK RANKING OVER LAST 5 YEARS
Leadership RANKING SCALE
Institutional capacity 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Politics
SPRING OF HOPE
Social cohesion
National policy
FAKE IT TILL WE MAKE IT...OR NOT? Service delivery ANNUAL RANKING
Inequality 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Economy
PERPETUAL HANGOVER
Global trends
Climate

The ANC noted has in its 54th National Conference Report and Resolutions document that corruption is a key challenge
that threatens its goals to uplift the people of SA. In 2007, SA was one of the least corrupt countries – ranking 43rd out of
180 countries. Just over 10 years later, SA’s position has slipped to 73rd out of 180 countries.

TOP 5 CHALLENGES TO ACHIEVING TOP 5 RISK TREATMENT OPTIONS AND
TARGETS OPPORTUNITIES
1. The continued underperformance of corruption-fighting 1. Push officials accused of corrupt practices to immediately account
entities, such as the NPA, is one of the main obstacles to curbing to the Integrity Committee.
corruption. 2. Suspend people who are unable to give an acceptable explanation
2. The current leadership structures seem helpless to arrest these while facing disciplinary Investigative or prosecutorial procedures.
practices, due to a lack of political will or because they themselves 3. Prioritising the most vulnerable sectors. The vulnerable sectors
are implicated. are, in order of priority, as follows:
3. Since 2013, the Special Investigating Unit has referred 881 matters • Health sector;
to the NPA, which translated to 293 cases. Yet only nine cases • State owned enterprises;
were finalised in court. This low success rate can be ascribed to: • Local government;
• Not having an effective National Corruption Prevention • Construction;
Plan/Strategy; • Finance;
• A backlog of corruption cases at the Judiciary; and • Energy; and
• Not reporting corruption on time. • Education.
• Lack of skills and lack of resources. 4. Implement the NEC resolution on State Capture, including the
4. Key public sectors, such as education and the police, remain establishment of a Judicial Commission of Enquiry.
vulnerable to incidences of corruption. 5. Strengthen the State’s capacity to successfully investigate and
5. A major obstacle to President Ramaphosa’s anti-corruption prosecute corruption.
campaign is resistance from factions.

FAC TS AND FIGURES

• More than two thirds of South Africans believe that corruption has increased from 2010 to 2013;
• Nearly half of them would not report corruption because they believe it is pointless;
• 76.9% of households believe that people are involved in corruption to get rich quickly, followed by greed at 71.2%.

Source: Statistics South Africa, Corruption Watch