Parties are worst offenders

According to the survey, governments are doing little to curb corruption and political parties are among the worst offenders. The Cape Times reports this is the view of South Africans responding to the latest barometer. Transparency's SA representative Ayesha Kajee said many South Africans believed that key sectors in government and business were 'vulnerable to corrupt practices' and that some even indulged in corruption. '(The government) should be working faster when allegations of corruption surface against important offices and institutions,' said Kajee. Political parties and the police topped the list, being perceived as equally corrupt by South Africans. Parliament and the judiciary also fared poorly. Full Cape Times report Full Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer report

The survey was conducted in 62 countries and found that most people take a negative view on their government's efforts to stamp out corruption. According to a report in The Standard, 69% of people worldwide say their government is either ineffective in fighting corruption, does nothing about it or encourages it. Only 22% believe their government is effective in fighting graft. Corruption in public services was most widespread in Africa, where an average bribe of R470 buys registrations and permits. Bribes averaging R55 buy access to basic public utilities such as electricity and water. Worldwide, political parties are seen as most affected by corruption, followed by parliaments, legislatures and the business sector. Full report on The Standard (China) site

'Corruption has infiltrated public life and burrowed in.' This was the view of Transparency International's director of policy and research, Robin Hodess. According to Hodess, says Business Day, 'legislatures are elected with a precious mission: to place the interests of their citizens above their own,' but 'this trust is being violated, at great cost to the legitimacy of elected officials in many countries'. Full Business Day report

Both the ANC and the AU could learn from Transparency International's decisive action, says an editorial in Business Report. The corruption watchdog said it would expel German conglomerate Siemens as a member because of how it was dealing with fraud. Such a move would be damaging to the company's image and will force those in charge to clean up house. This shows that TI is willing to back up its words with action. The AU and the ANC could both take a leaf out of Transparency International's book, says the editorial. The AU's ideals would do any organisation proud but its record on Zimbabwe and Sudan show how hollow its words truly are. And the ANC seems to wriggle and squirm out of acting against, or even censuring, senior members who get embroiled in dodgy practices. Although the courts are allowed to do their job and ANC members do get sent to jail when convicted of serious wrongdoing, this remains a far cry from the party itself taking a firm stand against corruption and unethical practices. Full Business Report editorial

The good news is that the report on corruption could lead to action. Statistics presented at the National Anti-Corruption Forum (NACF) meeting held recently in Pretoria are damning. But they have prompted the NACF to intensify the fight against corruption, reports the Mail & Guardian Online. The meeting focused on the Transparency International report, which recently revealed that SA big business is rated among the worst for bribing foreign governments. Transparency International Bribe Payer's Index 2006 (TIBPI) had ranked SA 24th out of 30 countries, 'indicating there is a strong possibility SA businesses will bribe foreign officials in other countries'. NACF spokesperson Clayson Monyela said that although members felt there had been substantial progress made, more still needed to be done. A report monitoring progress of the NACF will be discussed in depth at the organisation's first meeting to be held in 2007. Also, the NACF will be hosting the 2007 Global Forum on Corruption for the first time. Monyela said the forum would provide an opportunity for the African region to promote a common understanding of corruption and provide a collective position and response to it. A total of 2 296 cases of alleged corruption have been reported to the national anti-corruption hotline (NACH) since its inception in September 2004. Full Mail & Guardian Online report