Graft the No. 1 hate

Nivashni Nair | 18 March, 2014 00:01

Institute for Security Studies researcher Hamadziripi Tamukamoyo yesterday said the state spending on President Jacob Zuma's private homestead in Nkandla was the biggest worry in a long string of scandals. File photo

South Africans are not the only ones fed up with corrupt politicians and officials.

In an online survey in which people around the world were asked what they wanted social-activism network Avaaz to tackle this year, 116000 people from 194 countries chose political corruption.

"Avaaz asked its 33million members in 194 countries to tell us what mattered most to them and they put the fight for equality and against corruption right up top," Avaaz campaign director Meredith Alexander said.

Many respondents wanted economic policies that benefited the common good and not just the ruling elite, and action to prevent catastrophic climate change.

Avaaz, which puts pressure on the authorities by organising online petitions, has 247683 South African members who state their determination to fight corruption in their online profiles.

The 2013 Afrobarometer report, which surveyed 34 African countries, found that most South Africans said they had detected an increase in government corruption.

Institute for Security Studies researcher Hamadziripi Tamukamoyo yesterday said the state spending on President Jacob Zuma's private homestead in Nkandla was the biggest worry in a long string of scandals.

"Corruption is a problem across the globe but the reality is, if you look at transparency, there is a perception that South Africa is worsening.

"Corruption scandals and even attacks on the public protector give a sense that corruption is worsening," he said.

Tamukamoyo believes that corruption will be "a big issue in voting patterns" in the coming national elections.

"So, on the one hand, the ANC is sending a signal that it is serious about tackling corruption - and we know it sends this signal in its manifesto and the National Development Plan.

"On the other hand, if indeed the ruling party is serious about tackling corruption, why do you have a lot of ministers and several other individuals who have been fingered in high level corruption on [the ANC national election lists]?"

Tamukamoyo has doubts about global activism achieving change.

"The reality is that there is only so much that global activism can do. It can put on pressure.

"The reality is that we need [greater] citizen action here in South Africa," he said.

"As things stand, members of parliament are much more accountable to the party than to citizens.

"South Africans could locally push harder for politicians to be accountable and I think that is going to have much more impact than global activism over the internet."