One of the ways in which corruption in Madibeng has been organised is through family, friendship or political connections in the municipality, extending into the private sector, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) reports.
“This has created networks (not necessarily involving the same individuals) that facilitate financial crimes, such as bank account tampering, tender fraud, illegal investments, and duplicate payments. All of these have required a coordinated effort to perpetrate, sustain and conceal. The systematic nature of these activities, resembling organised crime, is what makes this type of corruption ‘organised’ rather than ‘ordinary’ or ‘systemic’,” Romi Sigsworth a research consultant at ISS said.
To understand the connections between graft and organised crime in local government, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) mapped incidents of corruption or alleged corruption at three municipalities. It used reports from AGSA, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and parliamentary committees, as well as South Africa’s 2024 Governance Performance Index, news articles, and investigations.
According to the report, reported corruption at the three municipalities – Madibeng Local Municipality (Madibeng), OR Tambo District Municipality (ORTDM) and City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality (COJ) – followed similar patterns of organisation.
“First, influence is gained through irregular appointments, nepotism and patronage. Second, this influence is used to manipulate and exploit legitimate systems for personal gain. Third, the illicit activities are abetted or protected by either administrative or violent means, or both. In all three municipalities, appointing individuals with political or familial connections places them in positions that can protect perpetrators from whistleblowing and reporting.”
The ISS warns that the more organised, normalised and profitable corruption becomes in municipalities, the less incentive there is for good governance. The implications are serious and directly affect the daily lives of South Africans, with health, sanitation, environmental and economic consequences. Corruption scandals and service delivery challenges also erode public trust, resulting in protests or disengagement from democratic processes.
For the full report, visit https://issafrica.org/iss-today/organised-corruption-a-new-threat-to-south-africa-s-municipalities.