Afrobarometer Briefing Paper No. 110 
  
Perceptions and Realities of Corruption in South Africa 
 
 by Iris Wielders 
 January 2013 
  
Background  
Corruption is a growing concern in South Africa. Cases of alleged corruption of government officials 
are detailed in the news media on a regMarularch 2012 basis, and i nclude allegations targeted at the highest levels 
of government. The Afrobarometer survey has been tracking public attitudes towards corruption since 
2000. This bulletin outlines relevant results from the latest Afrobarometer survey (Round 5), 
conducted between October and November 2011 in South Africa, and compares them to findings from  
several previous surveys. The aim of this paper is to present data for discussion amongst key 
stakeholders; interpretations are, for the most part, left to the users. We begin with data on the 
importance of corruption on the public agenda in South Africa. Next, perceived levels of corruption 
amongst various government officials and representatives are detailed. This is contrasted with data on 
the reality of corruption by comparing it to the frequency of bribery. The bulletin concludes with data 
on the roles of government and media in the fight against corruption. 
 
The Survey 
During Round 5, Afrobarometer surveys will be conducted in up to 35 countries in Africa, using a 
common survey instrument and methodology. The findings reported here draw from a recent survey 
in South Africa conducted between October and November 2011. This is the sixth Afrobarometer 
survey conducted in South Africa (others were conducted in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008). The 
survey was based on a nationally representative random sample of 2400 adult South Africans drawn 
from all nine provinces of the country. The findings reported here have a margin of sampling error of 
+/- 2% at a 95% confidence level.  Fieldwork was conducted by Citizens Surveys, Ltd., with technical 
support from the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA).  
 
The Place of Corruption on the Public Agenda in South Africa 
Afrobarometer asks respondents to name the three most important problems facing the country that 
government should address. Their responses define a public agenda of issues South Africans believe 
to be the most important, on which they want government to focus its attention. Corruption has risen 
on the public agenda during the past ten years. In 2002, 13% of respondents thought corruption was 
one of the most important problems facing the country. The 2011 survey however shows a dramatic 
increase, with 25% of respondents mentioning corruption as a priority issue for government to address 
(Figure 1). 
 
  
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Figure 1: Corruption on the Public Agenda 
30%
25%
20%
13% 
15%
9% 
8% 
10%
8% 
7% 
5% 
5%
5% 
3% 
5% 
4% 
2% 2% 
0%
2002200620082011
First RespnseSecond ResponseThird Response
 
Question: In your opinion, what are the most important problems facing this country that government should 
address? Corruption. 
 
Moreover, this is the first time since 2002 that corruption has appeared in the top five priority issues. 
In all previous years, the top five issues were: unemployment; crime; poverty; housing; and 
HIV/AIDS. In 2011, for the first time, corruption was rated as more important than both HIV/AIDS 
and poverty, putting it in fourth place. 
 
In 2011, the survey also sought to assess public perceptions about what citizens felt were the most 
essential characteristics of democracy. When asked to identify which of four options listed was an 
essential characteristics of democracy, nearly a third (32%) of the surveyed respondents chose 
1
politics in as clnd fearee of corruption as the most i.m portant (Figure 2)
  
                                                           
1
 Note that this question was one of four questions where respondents were asked what they thought was the 
most essential characteristic of democracy. For each question, four different options were presented. 
2 
 



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Figure 2: Corruption and Democracy 
Politics is clean and free of
2% 
8% corruption
People are free to take part
in demonstrations and
32% 
protests
20% The court protects ordinary
people if the government
mistreats them
People receive aid from the
government when they are
in need
None of these
14% Don't know/ Haven't heard
enough
24% 
 
Question: Which one of these things would you choose as the most essential characteristic of democracy? 
 
Perceived Corruption Amongst Public Officials 
The Afrobarometer survey also asks about the level of corruption amongst seven categories of public 
officials and government representatives.  Table 1 shows that a significant proportion believe that 
many of these public officials and government representatives are involved in corruption. 
Respondents point to most corruption amongst the police (52% say most of them or all of them 
are corrupt), followed closely by local government councillors (51%) and government officials (50%). 
Far fewer respondents believe that South Africa Revenue Service (SARS) officials or judges and 
magistrates are corrupt (23% and 27%, respectively). The average percentage of people that think 
most or all officials across these different categories are involved in corruption is 40% in 2011, up 
quite substantially from 30% in 2008. 
 
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Table 1: Perceptions of Corruption (2011) 
 President MPs Government Local Police SARS Judges and 
and his officials government magistrates 
office councillors 
All of them 9 8 10 14 12 5 6 
Most of them 26 32 40 37 40 18 21 
Some of them 51 48 41 38 41 41 46 
None 8 6 5 6 4 18 17 
Don't know/Haven't 5 5 4 4 2 18 10 
heard enough 
Question: How many of the following people do you think are involved in corruption, or haven¶t you heard 
enough about them to say? (%) 
 
                                                           
2
 Here and elsewhere, figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding. 
3 
 



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Figure 3: Perceptions of Corruption Over Time 
55%
52% 50%
45%
42% 
40%40% 
35%35% 35% 
30%30% 
25%25% 
20%
17% 
15%
10%
20022004200620082011
President and his officeMPs
Government officialsLocal government councillors
Average
 
Question: How many of the following people do you think are involved in corruption, or haven¶t you heard 
enough about them to say? 
 
Figure 4: Perceptions of Corruption Over Time 
55%
53% 50%
45%45% 
40%40% 
35%
30%30% 
28% 27% 
25%
23% 
20%20% 
15%
10%
20022004200620082011
PoliceSARSJudges and magistratesAverage
 Question: How many of the following people do you think are involved in corruption, or haven¶t you heard 
enough about them to say? 
Note: Figures 3 and 4 represent South Africans who thought that all o´ or f thmostem of them´ are involved 
in corruption.  
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As Figures 3 and 4 illustrate, on average and across different political actors and institutions, South 
Africans consistently perceive increasing amounts corruption over time. In particular, both figures 
highlight the substantive increase in perceived corruption between 2008 and 2011. 
 
The Experience of Corruption: Bribery 
In contrast to the perceived prevalence of corruption amongst officials and representatives, the actual 
number of times that people report having paid a bribe to government officials is very low. An 
average of 65% said they never paid a bribe, and an additional 27% state they have not done so during 
the last year. These figures are similar for different government services, including getting a 
document/permit; accessing water or sanitation services; obtaining treatment at a health facility; 
dealing with a police, e.g., at a checkpoint, or in avoiding arrests or fines; and getting children into 
primary school (Table 2). In previous survey rounds, the results from these indicators have been 
similar. 
 
Table 2: Experience of Bribery (2011) for South Africans Accessing/ Experiencing Particular 
Public Goods and Services 
 Get a Get water Get treatment Avoid a Get a place in a 
document or or at a local problem with primary school 
a permit sanitation health clinic the police, like for a child 
services or hospital passing a 
checkpoint or 
avoiding a fine 
or arrest 
Never 90 90 88 89 90 
Once or twice 5 5 6 6 5 
A few times 3 3 5 3 2 
Often 1 1 2 1 2 
Don't know 0 0 0 1 1 
 
No experience 30 27 25 28 27 
with this in past 
year (% of 
South Africans) 
Question: In the past year, how often, if ever, have you had to pay a bribe, give a gift, or do a favour to 
government officials in order to... (%) 
Note: This data representation only includes South Africans who needed to get a document or permit, etc. The 
percentage of South Africans that did not access the particular public good or service is denoted by the no 
experience with this in the past y  ear category.
 
Fighting Corruption: The Roles of Government and the Media 
In the fight against corruption, both government and the media can play important roles. When asked 
to assess the performance of the current government in fighting corruption in government, a third of 
the surveyed respondents approved the government for a well done job; 25% said fairly well´, and 
7% very wel Hlow.ever, a majority of people rate the government¶s performance in fighting 
corruption in government as f a30i(r%l)y o badr ³very bad´ (35%) (Figure 5). 
 
These figures have been fairly similar since 2000, with the exception of 2006, when a larger 
proportion (44%) of respondents approved the government¶s performance i n fighting corruption.
 
 
 
5 
 



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Figure 5: Government Performance in Fighting Corruption 
70%
66% 66% 
65% 
63% 
60%
52% 
50%
44% 
40%
33% 
31% 31% 
29% 
30%
20%
8% 
10%
4% 4% 
3% 
1% 
0%
20002002200620082011
Very badly/ Fairly badly
Very well/ Fairly well
Don't know/ Haven't heard enough
 
Question: How well or badly would you say the current government is handling the following matters, or 
haven¶t you heard enough to say? Fighting corru ption in government.
 
The Afrobarometer survey also asked citizens whether the news media should constantly investigate 
and report on government mistakes and corruption, or whether too much reporting on negative events, 
like government mistakes and corruption, only harms the country.  More than two-thirds (70%) 
support a watchdog role for the media (Figure 6).  
 
  
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Figure 6: Role of the Media in Fighting Corruption 
80%
70% 
70%
59% 
60%
50%
37% 40%
30%
23% 
20%
10%5% 
2% 
0%
20082011
News media should investigate and report
Too much investigation and reporting is harmful
Agree with neither
 
Question: Which of the following statements is closest to your view. Choose statement 1 or statement 2. 
Statement 1: The news media should constantly investigate and report on government mistakes and corruption. 
Statement 2: Too much reporting on negative events, like government mistakes and corruption, only harms the 
country. 
 
Compared to 2008, people believe more strongly in the role of the media in fighting corruption: the 
number of people agreeing with the statement that the news media should constantly investigate and 
report on government corruption has increased from 59% to 70%. 
 
Conclusion 
It is clear that corruption is considered an important issue by South Africans. It is frequently cited as a 
critical issue facing the country, and many people believe that there are high levels of corruption in 
various parts of government. At the same time however, the incidence of bribery appears to be 
relatively low when compared to the perceived corruption figures. This may be because people are 
reluctant to admit to paying bribes and therefore the incidence of bribery may be under-reported. In 
addition, people may think of nepotism, procurement fraud, and other misuse of state resources when 
asked about corruption, rather than considering only petty bribery. This is a second potential 
explanation for the differences between perceptions and reality appearing from the survey results. 
Finally, in the fight against corruption, opinions on the performance of government appear to have 
remained fairly constant over the past ten years, whereas the role of the media is considered more 
important now than it was a few years ago. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The Afrobarometer is produced collaboratively by social scientists from more than 20 African 
countries. Coordination is provided by the Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the 
Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa), the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) at the 
University of Nairobi, and the Institute for Empirical Research in Political Economy (IREEP) in Benin. 
We gratefully acknowledge generous core support from the Canadian International Development 
Agency (CIDA), the UK Department for International Development (DfID), the Mo Ibrahim 
Foundation, the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), and the United States Agency for 
International Development (USAID) for Afrobarometer Round 5 research, capacity building, and 
outreach activities. Idasa is the Afrobarometer partner in South Africa - for more information on 
Afrobarometer work in South Africa please contact Anyway Chingwete, AB Project Manager, 

 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  or visit: www.afrobarometer.org. 
 
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