The corrupt took advantage of the public health crisis – David Lewis

25th March 2021

By: Thabi Shomolekae

Creamer Media Senior Writer

     

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Civil rights and anti-corruption group Corruption Watch (CW) on Thursday expressed anger and sadness at reports relating to corruption in the health sector, saying the corrupt took advantage of the public health crisis to loot the procurement necessitated by Covid-19 and even stooped as low as to steal from the various relief programmes.

CW released its ninth annual corruption report, titled 'From Crisis to Action', reflecting the extent to which all organisations and individuals in South Africa witnessed and experienced the massive impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.

CW director David Lewis said while the nation united to limit the ravages of Covid-19, some politicians, public servants and business people stuck their hands further into the public purse.

CW fielded a total of 4 780 reports of incidents of corruption last year, forming part of the just under 33 000 reports of corruption received by the organisation since 2012.

During this period the public was increasingly outraged by the rampant corruption that emerged in relation to procurement and distribution of essential goods and services, including relief packages, necessitated by Covid-19, the report revealed.

The organisation received numerous reports relating to corruption in the health sector during 2020, with 149 of such cases received.

“The weakened healthcare system in South Africa has been a breeding ground for corruption for years. Under Covid-19, while visits to healthcare facilities may have been reduced, the cases of corruption featured in the CW reports centred on procurement corruption, employment corruption, and fraud, counting for 21%, 15% and 11% respectively,” said Lewis.

He explained that the number of reports relating to Covid-19 corruption totalled 418, 37% of which occurred in critical sectors and institutions, such as the Department of Labour’s Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme benefits, 20% in the distribution of food parcels by mainly local municipalities, and 12% in the South African Police Services (Saps).

The types of corruption that were exposed involved maladministration at 34%, misappropriation of resources at 22% and procurement corruption at 16%.

Lewis said it was not surprising that in 2020, CW recorded the second highest number of reports of corruption received in a calendar year since its inception in 2012, and importantly, the highest number of reports implicating the policing and healthcare sectors.

Police Corruption

CW explained that the most frequently reported forms of corruption during the year were maladministration at 17%, procurement corruption at 16% and fraud at 15%.

These acts of corruption included issues such as compliance, procurement irregularities, soliciting of kickbacks and fraudulent activities in various State institutions, agencies and departments, as well as businesses.

Of these reports, 11% allege corruption in the Saps, while 6% point to corruption in schools, 4% to corruption in the health sector, and 3% to corruption in the awarding of driver’s licenses.

Lewis said that despite the lockdown conditions that prevented in-person reports at the CW offices, on average 11 complaints were received daily from across South Africa, using available online and digital platforms to highlight the ongoing acts of graft in both the public and private sectors.

As in previous years, the majority of reports came from Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape, he said.

Edited by Sashnee Moodley
Senior Deputy Editor Polity and Multimedia

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