For the fourth year running, the most reports of public sector corruption in South Africa have emanated from Gauteng, with 50% of the reports coming out of the province in 2015, according to the Corruption Watch annual report.
Released this week, the report highlights that since Corruption Watch launched in January 2012, it has received more than 10 000 reports from around the country. David Lewis, executive director of Corruption Watch, cautions however that the fact that the majority of reports emanated from Gauteng doesn’t mean that the province is the most corrupt.
“Firstly, we have a larger number of reporters based in Gauteng, partly because of the work that we’ve done with the Johannesburg Metro Police. Furthermore, Gauteng is also home to all national departments and it is the most populous province in the country with over 13 million people calling it home,” says Lewis.
KwaZulu Natal took the second highest spot, with 12% of corruption reported from the province. The Eastern Cape was third with 7%. The most reports of corruption (36%) were about unions, state-owned enterprises and municipal-owned entities, followed by national government (24%).
Abuse of power and bribery were at the top of the list with regard to the type of corruption.
In 2016 Corruption Watch will go on a major drive to increase the volume of reports from the victims and opponents of corruption, Lewis added.
