Pilot project to fight cross-border corruption

A group of concerned
local traders is working
with the anti-corruption
NGO, Corruption Watch,
to mount a collaborative
programme to crack down
on cross-border bribery
and corruption. This will
include a reporting platform
that will be accessible to all
parties.
“The businesses –
regularly targeted at
South African borders
– approached us to help
them develop ways in which
to expose border agency
officials who solicit bribes
to fast-track
clearing of
goods,” said
executive
director of
Corruption
Watch, David
Lewis.
According
to him,
bribery and
corruption
at borders is
escalating to
“pandemic”
proportions.
“And it’s
not simply the staff – from
border police to customs
and excise and Home Affairs
personnel – at the coalface
who benefit from the bribes.
Usually officials much
higher up are benefiting
from the scheme. And they
will therefore turn a blind
eye when they see it taking
place.”
Lewis pointed out that
as soon as a restrictive gate
was created, it allowed those
who controlled access to
wield strong bargaining
power. “With the number of
regulations at the southern
African border posts, the
conditions are ripe for
corruption.”
Lewis told FTW that his
organisation was developing
a pilot programme at one of
the border posts to enable
an easily accessible platform
where specific incidents
could be immediately
reported to specific
channels.
“If it is reported and
officially recorded, it forces
those higher ups to take
action,” Lewis commented.
He said the development
of the pilot
project was
still in its
infancy and
therefore he
could neither
confirm
a roll-out
date, nor the
border post
targeted for
the project.
“It is likely
to be one of
the border
posts into
Mozambique
but I cannot confirm
anything at this stage,” he
said.
The project would
be launched with the
cooperation of all agencies
operating on both sides of
the relevant border, Lewis
highlighted.
To cut down on bribery
and corruption, a number of
fleet operators and shippers
FTW has spoken to suggest
that the only way to go is for
all border users to have a
zero-tolerance policy against
paying bribes.
Although he commends
the sentiment, Lewis believes
it is not as simple as that.
“Often companies do not
take certain realities faced by
truck drivers into account.
They do not, for example,
fully understand that if a
driver doesn’t pay a bribe
to get the goods cleared
through the border, he faces
a night on the side of the road
having to not only ensure
the safety of a very expensive
vehicle and goods but also
putting his own safety at
risk,” he explained.
Furthermore, even
if a driver does comply,
he potentially still faces
penalties for not fully
meeting his delivery targets.
“Often, he is damned if
he does and damned if
he doesn’t. He still gets
punished either way – just
for different reasons,” Lewis
pointed out.
He suggests that company
policies around compliance
and performance-based
bonuses (such as on-time
cross-border delivery) should
take these aspects into
account.
A recent study into crossborder
crime by international
anti-corruption watchdog,
Transparency International,
supported this view,
highlighting that while there
was evidence of “substantial
interest” by government
and the private sector in
eradicating the scourge of
cross-border corruption in
southern Africa, a number
of administrative challenges
still needed to be addressed
to make this a reality.
INSERT AND CAPTION
With the number of
regulations at the
southern African
border posts, the
environment is ripe
for corruption.
– David Lewis