A bribery survey conducted by the Ethics Institute of South Africa has revealed what South Africans are most likely to pay bribes for – and how much people are willing to pay.<\/p>\n
The report was based on a survey of 6,400 people in four urban centres in South Africa (Limpopo, KZN, Gauteng and the Western Cape) across all income groups.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The majority of people in South Africa believe that it is impossible to get through every day life in the country without paying a bribe – while at least half believe that bribery is simply a way of life.<\/p>\n
“It is concerning because people start behaving\u00a0according to their beliefs. If we think that ‘everybody is doing it’ it becomes easier for people to\u00a0justify bribery to themselves,” the Ethics Institute said.<\/p>\n
“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\u00a0everyday life without bribing.”<\/p>\n
What are we bribing for?<\/strong><\/p>\n The biggest reasons for paying bribes were to avoid fines for traffic offences, with most bribed honing in on the public sector.<\/p>\n However, 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.<\/p>\n These are the biggest areas where bribes are paid in South Africa<\/p>\n Other areas where bribes were identified in ‘every day’ situations include:<\/p>\n How much people pay<\/strong><\/p>\n While Limpopo was found to be the place where bribes were most asked for – it’s in the Western Cape where people were most likely to pay the bribe.<\/p>\n The report found that the most frequently paid bribe was R100, but the median amount was R1,000 –\u00a0shooting\u00a0to well over R100,000 in cases where getting a government tender is involved.<\/p>\n The average bribe amount mentioned was\u00a0R2,005 (excluding the top 5% and The following table details the average bribe paid in every category identified by the report:<\/p>\n\n
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\nthe bottom 5% of bribes.)<\/p>\n\n\n
\n Category<\/th>\n Average bribe<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n \n Tender<\/td>\n R103 288<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n House \/ land<\/td>\n R7 585<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Social grant \/ pension<\/td>\n R3 435<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Job<\/td>\n R3 282<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Home Affairs<\/td>\n R2 932<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Driver’s Licence<\/td>\n R2 174<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Police and criminal charges<\/td>\n R2 062<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Reduced prices \/ theft from business<\/td>\n R1 854<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Education \/ qualification<\/td>\n R1 800<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Traffic offence<\/td>\n R219<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n