Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read | 10 December 2025

South Africans urged to reclaim accountability as experts warn that corruption, both grand and everyday continues to erode essential services and trust in the state. 📸

On International Anti-Corruption Day, South Africans are once again confronted with the harsh reality of entrenched corruption across both public and private sectors. While globally observed, this day lands heavily in a nation where many feel “they have nothing to positively add,” given what Advocate Stefanie Fick from OUTA describes as “the impunity with which corruption takes place from the highest levels of government to the lowest scale workers.”

Fick notes that corruption is often buried beneath euphemisms – mismanagement, scandal, price-fixing, and even corporate collapse terms that “describe what it actually is: corruption at the end of the day.”

Yet, despite the grim landscape, Fick offers a glimmer of hope. “The positive spin,” she explains, “is the people of South Africa.” She credits civil society vigilance and a slowly awakening business sector for preventing a complete erosion of accountability. “Without civil society there wouldn’t have been anything to be celebrated.”

When asked whether any state-owned enterprises stand out as relatively “cleaner,” Fick cautiously notes improvements at Eskom, highlighting the welcomed period without load-shedding. “We can celebrate the fact that we haven’t experienced load shedding but there’s still a problem,” she warns, citing high electricity costs and uneven access. She points to Transnet’s slow shift toward private sector involvement as another sign of progress, saying this “may improve our rails” and reduce strain on deteriorating roads.

However, Fick is unequivocal about one core problem: implementation. Referring to commissions such as the Zondo Inquiry which cost nearly R1 billion she stresses that South Africa does not suffer from a lack of investigations, but rather from a failure to act. “The problem is implementation. We do not have the political will to make sure that recommendations are actually implemented.”

For ordinary citizens dealing with daily bribery requests, from traffic stops to Home Affairs queues, Fick’s message is firm: “Corruption takes two people. If we as ordinary South Africans say no… the other person can’t commit corruption.” She encourages whistleblowing, including through civil society bodies like OUTA.

As local elections draw closer, Fick urges South Africans to remember the direct cost of corruption. “If we didn’t have corruption at the local level, our roads would be fixed. Make your voice heard.”

Her closing reminder carries both hope and urgency: “We live in a beautiful country and we are beautiful people. We are worth fighting for.”

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and Advocate Stefanie Fick.