SA's corruption ranking improves
29 October 2004
South Africa is the second least corrupt country in Africa. That's according to the latest report by global corruption watchdog Transparency International.
Perceptions of corruption on the continent are important to initiatives such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), the socio-economic recovery plan of the African Union.
Nepad, together with initiatives like the Pan African Parliament, is aimed in part at proving that Africa can manage its own affairs in a transparent and corrupt-free way.
According to Transparency International's latest report, only Botswana, one of South Africa's northern neighbours, is less corrupt that South Africa. Others on the continent which fare well in the report are Seychelles, Namibia and Mauritius.
While the report finds that South Africa is slightly less corrupt than it
was last year, it also suggests that it is a little more corrupt that it was in 2001 and 2002.
Internationally, South Africa joins Kuwait and Lithuania at number 44 on the global corruption index, with a score of 4.6 out of a possible perfect 10. Last year, South Africa was 48th with a score of 4.4, and in 2002 36th with a score of 4.8. In 2001 South Africa scored a five.
72% of the countries in the survey (106 out of 146 countries) scored lower than five compared with a best score of 10.
Finland, New Zealand, Denmark, Iceland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland were rated the least corrupt, all scoring higher than 9 out of 10 on the index.
Bangladesh, Haiti, Nigeria, Chad, Myanmar, Azerbaijan and Paraguay were perceived to be the most corrupt, all scoring lower than two.
The annual survey, which polls business leaders, academics and risk analysts, is largely based on perceptions of corruption among public officials and politicians.
Transparency
International says that oil wealth and corruption are bedfellows, and insists that oil companies should provide more information about their dealings to help clean up the market.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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