Fifty-six percent of people have been asked to pay a bribe in the past year

Corruption and bribery are getting worse in southern Africa, according to a survey by anti-corruption organisation Transparency International.

In four out of the six countries surveyed, people reported paying bribes to speed up services, but in South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo more bribes were paid to avoid problems with the authorities.

The survey titled “Daily lives and corruption, public opinion in  southern Africa” surveyed more than 6000 people in the DRC, Malawi,  Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe between 2010 and 2011.

The survey asked questions about nine pubic services: police, judiciary, customs, registry and permit services, land services, medical services, tax revenues, utilities and education.

Fifty-six percent of people who came in contact with public service providers had been asked to pay a bribe in the past year, the survey found.

Across the region, 62% of people believed corruption had become worse in the past three years.

Those polled in all six countries named the police as the most corrupt service provider and the one which had received the most bribes.

In five of the six countries, people trusted the government more than non-governmental bodies, the media, international organisations and the private sector to fight corruption. Only in Malawi were non-governmental organisations trusted as much as the government.

The good news was that 80% of those interviewed said they were prepared to get involved in the fight against corruption, Transparency International said.

“Governments must wake up to the fact that people will not tolerate corruption any more and start reforming weak institutions,  particularly the police,” Transparency International regional director Chantal Uwimana said in a statement.

“People have a right to feel that they are protected by the police and not harassed.”