Corruption A ‘Unantidoted’ Evil Crime Against Humanity: The Case Of South Africa During Covid-19

• Pages: 230-244
• Date: 01 December 2021
• Published date: 01 December 2021
• Author: Mhlauli N.,Zitha, H.E.,Mogane V.R
• Subject Matter: Derecho Público y Administrativo

European Journal of Economics, Law and Social Sciences

IIPCCL Publishing, Graz-Austria

Special Issue

December, 2021

ISSN 2519-1284

Acces online at www.iipccl.org

299

Corruption A ‘Unantidoted’ Evil Crime Against Humanity: The Case Of

South Africa During Covid-19

Mhlauli N.

Zitha, H.E.

Mogane V.R

Tshwane University of Technology

Abstract

Corruption in the public sector has become the most debated issue and it continues to make

headlines worldwide in both developing and developed countries. This global phenomenon is

frequently debated in dierent forums. Corruption has become a pandemic in all areas of the

globe. World Bank Group acknowledges that in many societies corrupt behaviour is deeply

rooted in the historic origins, social norms and political culture, therefore it is not unusual to

nd a strong inter-linkages between power, politics and money. This has a negative impact on

the general society as a whole. People especially the poor get hurt when resources are wasted.

Though corruption has an impact on everybody it continues to have a disproportionate

impact on the poor and most vulnerable, increasing the cost of, and reducing access to basic

services, as resources would have been wasted through corrupt activities. Studies show that

corruption hits the poor the hardest. Corruption distorts resource allocation and government

performance. The cause of corruption development varies from country to country. In South

Africa and elsewhere the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak led to the implementation

of emergency procurement measures, which opened an even wider loophole for corrupt

activities. According to Corruption Watch, emergency procurement measures created a ne

opportunity for greedy ocials to deep their hands in COVID-19 cookie jar (2020). This article

draws corruption cases from South Africa during COVID-19, unearth the underlying reason

for that, analyse the impact and lastly provide solutions.

Keywords: Corruption, Crime, Humanity, COVID-19.

Introduction

According G20 report (2020), COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented

challenges to the global community which has seen governments around the globe

dedicating enormous resources to respond to the ongoing health crisis and address

economic, however, the response mechanisms put in place has been confronted with

rapid increased opportunities for corruption. Perceptions of pervasive corruption in

South Africa have dominated public discourse for the beer part of the past decade.

In its many forms, corruption undermines the eectiveness of the state, worsens the

quality of public services, and ultimately erodes public trust (Fukuyama, 2014). The

ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 is aecting developed and developing countries

simultaneously. The COVID-19 pandemic gives rise to very signicant risks of

corruption. Massive resources mobilized to respond to the health and economic

crises create opportunities for corruption, while many corruption prevention and

enforcement mechanisms are suspended due to the emergency. This corruption