Paid and solicited bribes up by 40% – survey
A recent study into South Africans’ perceptions of corruption has noted a 40% increase in the number of bribes solicited and paid since the study was first commissioned three years ago.
The Ethics Institute released the findings of their Citizens’ Bribery Survey this week, which noted the worrying upward trend.
The institute said there were 4 962 respondents to the survey, which was conducted in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Limpopo and the Free State.
Respondents were asked questions such as “How frequently are people asked for bribes? What are these bribes for? Which political party is most committed to combating corruption? If the political party you supported was enabling bribery and corruption, would you change your vote?”
Infographic: The Ethics Institute
“The percentage of people who know someone who was asked for a bribe increased from 26% in 2015, to 37% in 2017. This amounts to an increase of roughly 40% over the three years that the survey has been conducted.”
They said in the report that future surveys would indicate whether this was a trend or a blip on the radar, but three years of data suggested that bribery was becoming more pervasive.
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“The majority of bribes are still related to traffic offences and obtaining drivers’ licences. This implies that many fatal accidents should be preventable if we could do something about these bribes.”
They said that although it had always been a concern, bribes for police and criminal matters have made it into the top five bribe types this year.
“Together with bribes for bypassing traffic laws, this amounts to 45% of all bribes. In a country where crime rates are as high as they are in South Africa, the fact that you can pay a bribe to avoid justice is of major concern.”
Read more in tomorrow's The Mercury