Corruption in our South African society is one of the biggest enemies of progress. On this page, we discuss the two possible consequences that corruption may have on the individual. According to The Conversation, corruption has been a constant feature of South African political life for much of the past 350 years. It is deeply embedded and it will take a concerted effort, over years, not days, to defeat it.
Corruption can be defined as a dishonest act or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted with a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one’s personal gain.
The four forms of Corruption in South Africa
Corruption can happen in may forms. However, on this section we will only identify and explain the four forms of corruption that exist and continue to cripple the economy and the people of South Africa.
- Nepotism – This is a form of curuption which can be committed by a person in power, where favoritism is granted to relatives and friends in various, including business, politics, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, etc;
- Maladministration – Maladministration is referred to the actions of a government body which can be seen as causing an injustice. The mismanagement and deliberate delaying and bundling up of legal and official government processes. This form of corruption, according to Business Tech, counts for 19% of the corruption cases in South Africa;
- Abusing public resources – this may happen in the form of theft, misuse, abuse and wasteful spending of the government’s resources, such as vehicles, equipment, time and funds.
- Procurement and tender irregularities – where government’s tenders are awarded to the people who payed the bribes in one way or another.
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The Two possible consequences that corruption may have on the individual
What are the causes and effects of corruption
On this section, we list the different causes, as well as the effects of corruption.
Causes of Corruption in South Africa
Corruption doesn’t just happen randomly. There are core sources of where corruption tendencies start to emerge. Below are some of the issues that influence corrupt activities:
- Political, as well as economic environments may encourage corruption is a society. This mostly happen when leaders are selfish.
- Lack of professional ethics and morality in leaders may encourrage acts of curruption tht descend to the subordinates.
- A society’s habits, customs, and tradition may encourage currupt activities. E.g, bribing the king for favours.
Effects of Corruption in South Africa
The main effects that corruption brings are all related to lack of service delivery and making the country poorer. Corruption in a country brings the following:
- Lack of economic growth
- Negatively impact business operations
- Corruption activity give rise to unmployment problem in a country
- Corruption discourages investors and puts the current investments at great risks.
Two consequences that corruption may have on the individual
Corruption is a criminal act. Thus, individuals who commit such criminal acts need to face consequences. Below are the two consequences that corruption may have on the individual:
- Jail Time: Based on the type of currup activites taht the individual engaged in, they might even be regarded as criminal who need to be locked up in proson. Also, the Criminal Law Amendment Act 105 of 1997 imposes a minimum penalty of 15 years for a first offender convicted of corruption,
- Pay heavy fines: For the person who is found guilty for curruption, the court has the rights to fine him/her up to three times the value of the gratification that was involved in the corruption.
More Sources
https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/58969