Manifestations of corruption within the Kwazulu-Natal municipalities: A thorn in the flesh

Abstract

Corruption is regarded as a global phenomenon that no country is immune to, and it has been a well-known fact that it is prevalent in less developed countries (Enste & Heldman, 2017). In the South African public sector, evidence points to corrupt activities, such as state capture, real political interference in massive contracts, and political deployments (amaBhungane, 2017; Newham, 2014). Therefore, this study sought to investigate manifestations of corruption within KwaZulu-Natal municipalities. The quantitative research method was used to collect and analyse numerical data. A structured questionnaire was adopted to collect the data from 225 respondents. The result showed that the common manifestations of corruption in the KwaZulu-Natal municipalities were fraud and bribery, financial mismanagement, abuse of power, procurement irregularities, appointment irregularities, and unethical behaviour. Among indicators, items fraud and bribery had the most significant impact on corruption, followed by mismanagement of funds, abuse of resources, procurement irregularities, appointment irregularities, and unethical behaviour. The study is significant because it sheds more light on the various forms of corruption in KwaZulu-Natal municipalities. The study helps South African organisations to detect different forms of corruption and take appropriate mitigation measures. The study expands on limited empirical research on the common manifestations of corruption in the South African public sector.