Leave it up to the Ethics Institute of South Africa to conduct research on the various types of bribes people pay, to make their lives just that little bit easier.
Based on a survey of 6 400 people across all income groups (hailing from Limpopo, KZN, Gauteng and the Western Cape), there were some interesting findings. As reported by Business Tech:
A quarter (26%) of the respondents indicated that they, or someone they knew, had been approached for a bribe in 2015 – and 75% indicated that they then went on to pay the actual bribe, showing that most people who are asked for a bribe end up paying it.
How’s this: the majority of people in South Africa say it is impossible to get through everyday life without paying a bribe, while at least half think bribes make life a little easier. The Ethics Institute is just not impressed:
It is concerning because people start behaving according to their beliefs. If we think that ‘everybody is doing it’ it becomes easier for people to justify bribery to themselves.
There is a need to change the South African narrative on bribery – the truth is that the majority of South Africans still do get through everyday life without bribing.
While the most obvious bribe is to avoid traffic fines, there are many more instances of money changing hands, especially in the private sector.
The report highlighted the private sector is also susceptible to dodgy dealings, where respondents said they would bribe people to get special discounts or to turn a blind eye to questionable activity.
These are the biggest areas where bribes are paid in South Africa
- Avoiding traffic fines (34%)
- Getting jobs (17%)
- Getting a driver’s licence (13%)
- Getting tenders (6%)
- Getting illicit discounts from businesses (4%)
- Avoiding police and criminal charges (4%)
- Education/qualification bribes (3%)
- Home Affairs (3%)
- Housing/land related bribes (2%)
- Getting access to social grants or pensions (2%)
- Other types of bribes (11%)
Other areas where bribes were identified in ‘every day’ situations include:
- To avoid being arrested for drug possession or other crimes
- When people are busted for drunk driving
- To avoid having electricity or water cut off at home
- To speed up application and delivery of ID documents
- To avoid expulsion from school
- To get exam papers with a memo
Although the most bribes are requested in Limpopo, it’s people in the Western Cape who are most likely to pay the bribe.
The report found that the most frequently paid bribe was R100, but the median amount was R1,000 – shooting to well over R100,000 in cases where getting a government tender is involved.
What’s the most interesting bribe you have ever come across?
[source: businesstech]
