**1. Introduction**

Reports about scandals and moral lapse in South Africa has dominated the news in the recent times. This is due to corrupt activities that the public service officials and their leaders are involved in. These activities have resulted in the decline of living standards in South Africa. This corruption erodes the very same resources that the South African community depends on. As a result, South African citizens have lost trust and confidence in the people that run the public sector. Corruption brings harm to the country's economic growth and development as it is one of the most corrosive deeds. This pandemic act against the principles of democracy and has a negative impact on delivering services to the people. This is also an enemy of social economic and human development as it is impossible to promote economic growth when resources are directed to individual pockets. Problems in

economic growth follow problem of creating employment. When the people do not obtain what is due to them because of corruption as one of the forms of unethical conduct, they lose trust in government. If a country is dominated by corruption, investors will not be kin to invest as they would fear that their investments would be lost through the same channels of corruption. It should also be understood that corruption does not only occur in the public sector as it is also visible in the private sector and other sectors.

National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2020–2030, 'corruption, having permeated key institutions in both the public and private sector, poses a threat to national security, undermines the rule of law and institutions vital to ensuring the centrality of the state as a protector and promoter of the rights of its citizens'. The country has quite a numerous policies that were developed to address issues of corruption but to this date, the country's breakfast and dinner are about corrupt activities in the government institutions. If all policies, strategies and guidelines are ineffective, what is then left is an appeal to the conscience of the people who are serving the community. Promoting ethics is one block in this puzzle that can be utilised to curb and combat corruption.
