South Africa’s observance of International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December brought together government leaders, oversight institutions, ethics specialists, international partners and civil society organisations. Hlengwa emphasised that corruption is a moral breach that erodes public trust and undermines democratic governance. He stated that 2025 marks a decisive moment in strengthening the country’s integrity framework, highlighting that service delivery failures amount to broken promises to citizens.
Accountability, he stressed, is non-negotiable, and integrity must be embedded across all state institutions. He outlined ongoing interventions that the government is focusing on, which include lifestyle audits for senior management, a central discipline register preventing dismissed officials from returning to public service, blacklisting habitual offenders in the public and private sectors, eliminating ghost employees, enforcing payroll integrity, and taking firm action against misconduct. He also reiterated that the strengthening of protections for whistleblowers remains central, given the growing threats they face.
Hlengwa cautioned that everyday acts, such as paying bribes, buying fraudulent licences, falsifying qualifications, or accepting salaries without working, are forms of corruption that collectively weaken the state. He called for a renewed moral consciousness and, over the holiday period, urged citizens to ‘ensure everyone arrives alive’, linking ethical behaviour to broader public responsibility. He emphasised that defeating corruption requires a capable, developmental and professional state, fair and transparent procurement systems, and co-operation across government, business, academia, the media, and communities.
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“South Africa can and will win this fight,” he affirmed. Vukela also highlighted South Africa’s 2025 G20 Presidency and its contribution to developing critical anti-corruption instruments, including asset recovery guidance and whistleblower protection reports, framed under the G20 theme: Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability. International partners, including the United Nations, the Government of Canada, and Public Service Commission commissioners Yasmin Bacus and Vusimuzi Mavuso, joined in reaffirming the importance of collaboration.
A significant contribution came from The Ethics Institute’s senior manager for organisational ethics, Kris Dobie, who presented the latest national survey on public sector ethics — South Africa’s most extensive indicator of ethical culture. Based on responses from over 7 100 public servants, the survey reveals a growing awareness of ethical standards but persistent concerns about reporting wrongdoing. Many employees distrust internal reporting channels or fear retaliation.
Dobie emphasised that accountability, fairness, leadership, and whistleblower protection are fundamental to building resilient ethical institutions. From a law enforcement perspective, acting national head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) and chairperson of the National Priority Crime Operational Committee (NPCOC), Lieutenant General Siphesihle Nkosi, described corruption as a complex, digitised, and transnational threat. He emphasised that no single entity could combat such networks on its own.
South Africa’s successful exit from the FATF Grey List in 2025, he noted, was achieved through co-ordinated action across regulators, enforcement agencies, financial institutions, and government. Nkosi explained how the NPCOC strengthens integrated responses to organised and commercial crime through shared intelligence, common standards, and co-operative enforcement. Advocate Neels van der Merwe, representing Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka, highlighted local government as the frontline where citizens most directly feel the effects of corruption. While many municipalities are making progress, he urged continued investment in leadership stability, infrastructure maintenance, and internal controls.
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