Where Corruption Lies

Where Corruption Lies 

         “Mommy!” A six-year-old screamed as she clung to the side of the latrine. Seconds prior, the floor had caved in under her weight, leaving her yelling for help and moments away from drowning [Inside Education]. Luckily, she was saved but unfortunately, this isn’t the first time events like this occurred, and many of them didn’t have such a lucky outcome. Reasoning for these events can be traced back to the faults in the architecture and the people responsible for funding these buildings. In this case, Mr. Mabuza, a principal for that school, was suspected to be the reason behind these poorly made latrines. It was reported that he had asked for $30 million, triple the original budget he had, to build new boarding schools. Provincial officers had gone to inspect the new schools and found, “roofs sprouted leaks soon after being finished, toilets barely worked, students lacked water, retaining walls collapsed and dormitories were missing doors” [Inside Education]. With the money the government gave to him to build these schools, the quality doesn’t show for it. The way the schools were built appears cheap and obviously shows how Mabuza had spent little money on building the promised boarding schools. But why would he triple the budget when hardly any money was spent on building the schools? With that question in mind, Mabuza’s political career had started on an incline. According to party officials, Mabuza was giving out, “government contracts, cash handouts and even KFC meals” [Inside Education]. Not only is it clear that he didn’t spend all $30 million on the school, but his political funding had also increased from an unknown cause. Many believe there were acts of embezzlement or some type of theft from the budget given to him by the government.

         To add on, bribery is another source of common corruption within Africa as a whole. In a barometer study, some places within Africa had percentages as high as 52% for people who had paid a bribe for public services in the past 12 months [Corruption Watch]. In fact, “more than one in four people who accessed public services, such as health care and education, paid a bribe in the preceding year” [Corruption Watch]. Not only that but, there have been reports of public political figures being physically violent and silencing it with a bribe. During a protest at a school, Mr. Siboza, an ANC councilor, was being bombarded with rocks. He pulled out a gun and started firing into the crowd. A few days later, he came to the students he injured and offered bribery money. A girl, whose leg was grazed by a bullet, took a bribe of $15 and spent it on sanitary pads. [Inside Education]. This situation not only shows how influential bribes can be to shush incidents like this, but it also reveals the state of Africa's general wealth. Finally, John Makumbe had argued that corruption is influenced by the need to gain power, wealth, and fame. [South African Journal of Education]. Looking at the previous issues, we can see an overwhelming truth behind Makumbe’s words. Corruption is a real and prominent issue that won’t go away unless dealt with. Governments are trying to bring justice to these acts and have created new policies to deal with corruption because of the citizens and the surge of protests.

Works Cited

Inside_Education, ANC. “The ANC, Corruption and a Failed Education System.” Inside Education Inspiring Minds, 8 Aug. 2018, insideeducation.co.za/anc-corruption-failed-education-system/.

 Loss of Principle. “Loss of Principle - New Schools Report.” Corruption Watch, 26 Oct. 2017, www.corruptionwatch.org.za/loss-of-principle-new-schools-report/#:~:text=. 

 Global Corruption. “Global Corruption Barometer Africa 2019.” Corruption Watch, 11 July 2019, www.corruptionwatch.org.za/global-corruption-barometer-africa-2019/. 

Wilkinson, Kate, and Julian Rademeyer. “Is SA Bottom of the Class in Maths and Science? WEF Ranking Is Meaningless.” Africa Check, 2014, africacheck.org/reports/is-sa-bottom-of-the-class-in-maths-and-science-why-ranking-is-meaningless/