“South Africans do have a moral compass‚ and those who pay bribes are still in the minority.”

That’s according to The Ethics Institute CEO Prof Deon Rossouw‚ who said that half of the respondents to its South African Citizen’s Bribery Survey reported never having been asked for a bribe‚ and 60% have declined to pay at some point.

Said Rossouw: “As organisations across the country observe International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9‚ it is worth celebrating the ordinary heroes who choose to take a personal stand against corruption.

“The research findings show that South Africans do have a moral compass‚ and those who pay bribes are still in the minority.”

The survey found that:

- “The poor find it more difficult to get through everyday life without paying bribes than the wealthy‚ and are significantly more targeted to pay bribes for employment; and

- “Bribery for employment and contracts occur almost equally in the private and public sectors.”

Rossouw explained that “it is clear that there are those who pay bribes to exploit the system for their own benefit‚ but there are also vulnerable people who are exploited by unscrupulous individuals”.

“We found that South Africans with lower income find it significantly more difficult to get through everyday life without paying a bribe‚ particularly with respect to bribes to secure jobs‚” he added.

“There is a certain injustice in the fact that those who have the least resources are most vulnerable to being targeted.” – TMG Digital