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JOHANNESBURG – Police have once again topped the list of corruption complaints this year.
That’s according to the Corruption Trends Analysis released Tuesday.
The Corruption Watch report found that 55 percent of complaints about the police occurred after the closing statement in March.
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Corruption Watch researcher Melusi Ncala says this also speaks to how police officers are protected in police stations when inappropriate behavior is reported.
Almost 2,000 people took the step of reporting corruption during the first half of the year compared to the same period last year.
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“The reports we receive provide a snapshot of the bribery that has been manifested in all levels of government, with the complicity of the private sector and that spans multiple sectors of our society,” said Ncala.
“The destruction caused by corruption is silent but deadly, and it is often the poorest in society who are brutalized by the actions of these corrupt individuals.”
Municipal offices, schools, and traffic and licensing centers each account for 5 percent of reports, with the health sector accounting for 4 percent.
Members of the public have reported that they have been forced to pay for food packages or provide favors in return.
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Corruption Watch says it received 67 such reports during the national shutdown. Ncala says this trend was rampant at the local government level.
Mismanagement, deliberate delay, or neglect of legal and official government processes accounts for 19 percent of all reports.
