**9. Corruption: A typology**

A number of criteria can be used to characterise corruption. In this chapter, we look at corruption through the lenses of 'size' and location. Thus, we will discuss petty corruption; grand corruption and systemic corruption in a perfunctory manner because the rest of my talk has no size or location biases.

**Systemic/endemic corruption** occurs when the perpetrators deliberately design systems, processes, norms and rules that are indifferent, and encourage or permit bribery, dishonesty, and all sorts of corrupt activities. Perpetrators can be a single small private or public entity or an entity as huge as NATO, the UN and everything in between.

**Grand corruption** involves major perpetrators normally with economic, financial or political clout and the consequences of their corrupt deeds have ramifications on economy, legislation and politics of the countries and regions thereof. Let us take an example where a company pays out R1.5 million (USD\$33.400 each) to three

legislators to lobby a case for a monopoly status to Company Q. Company Q gets legislated as the sole provider of a service/product. Let us further assume that the country's population is 70 million and each person consumes 2 units of the service/ product daily. Let us assume because of the new monopoly status Company Q now overcharges by R1 per unit. Therefore, the total daily superprofit made by Company Q will be (70,000,000 people x R1superprofit per unit x 2 units daily = R140 million = USD\$9.4 million, superprofits DAILY). The short-hand multiplier effect here is that for USD\$33.333 bribe payment made to each of the three corruptors, the Company Q will extract USD\$3431000000 annually from the nation (for R500.000– 00 bribe received the company will milk the nation R51 465,000,000–00/R51.465 billion per year) in superprofits.

**Petty corruption** is generally typified by low-level servants in activities of small rent (bribe money). However, the consequences of petty corruption are not always petite. Let's use a hypothetical scenario to illustrate the multiplier effect here. Imaging a manager in a Department of Education sitting on an application for the establishment of a Private school because (s)he wants a bribe, say (R2000 = USD\$115) and the applicant sticks by their organisation's anti-corruption code and does not pay. Fifteen months pass by, and the mathematics of the corrupt deed comes to a loss of (R100000monthly rentals x 15 months = R1.5 million = USD\$100000) in rentals for space that is not being used. It takes a further (15 x 20 x 18,000 = R5 400,000 = USD\$360000) loss for paying staff who are awaiting return to their jobs. Let us further assume that each of the 20 staff members is a breadwinner in families of 5 persons. The truth is 20 x 5 = 100 persons have their lives held at ransom by a single corrupt official for just USD\$115/R2000. Therefore, the applicant has caused (R1.5 million + R5.4 million = R6.9 million = USD\$460.000) loss by a corrupt official wanting just USD\$115/R2000–00. Let us turn briefly to the costs for the students (450 x R2000 = R900.000–00/= USD\$60.000) for uniforms and other collateral costs.

The point here is what can look tiny and negligible may have huge knock-on effects. Something like a multiplier effect. In this simple example, R2000 (USD\$115) multiplies to a cost of well over USD\$520.000 (R7.8 million) in just 15 months.

The cost of a petite corruption may not be financially quantifiable but huge in suffering caused. Take a traffic officer who issues a driver's licence to a prospective driver without test. The unskilled driver kills 50 passengers in an accident. Assuming each of the 50 is a breadwinner to 5 kids, it means (50 x 5 = 250 kids) will have to live without a parent, without care and 250 kids will be abused for deprivation daily and 250 kids will drop out of school and these 250 kids will grow to be 250 homeless adults. Assuming each will bear 5 kids this will be (250 x 7 = 1750) destitute, all caused by the selfish want of R1000.00/USD\$66.00.

### **10. Anti-corruption activism: Drivers, opportunities, struggles**

One of the shortfalls in confronting corruption is the practitioner mentality of fixing things and getting quick exhaustive results immediately. Corruptors and corruptees SWOT their target systems; that is, they study their target systems for their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. They do this against their own SWOTs, that is, they profile themselves for their Strengths and Weaknesses and the Opportunities and Threats to their corrupt activities present in their external environments. From match-and-merge study of the two SWOTs, the corrupt come up with strategies of Plan Concealment and Review, Plan Concealment and Implementation,

and Evidence Destruction Plan and Activation. Generally corrupt individuals and syndicates plan to be forever (at best) or hundred steps (at least) ahead of their (potential) trackers.

Anti-corruption activism should be a long-term endeavour, well invested with patience, as it sometimes experiences favourable patches, some setbacks, reversals and demotivating instances. Persistence and perseverance are key even where and when big efforts do not seem to be taking anything anywhere. We will discuss the four prominent drivers of anti-corruption activism below. I have winnowed four from literature synthesis:

• Knowledge: corruption accentuates and perpetuates poverty

Research and experience have brought humankind the knowledge that corruption accentuates and perpetuates poverty. It has also helped us see covert corruption as much as it has made humankind able to appreciate the devastating effects of even the minutest act of corruption. Research must generate better information and strong effects to convince leaders and society to change. It must expose everything. Corruption has huge negative impact on the macro-economies. Corruption has halved inward investment rates, held back growth and increased inequalities [7].

• The Emergence of Solutions: providing solutions alongside advocacy creates a powerful force for action

In recent decades, experiences and ideas with real practical and workable anticorruption solutions began to image. Civil societies working and thinking together have been creating and moulding a corpus of anti-corruption experiences. Providing Solutions alongside advocacy creates a powerful force for action. However, as with many partnership endeavours, difficult times come when those who should be working in the partnership do not want to be members therein.

• Confidence: the more knowledge and solutions strengthen our resolute, the stronger our confidence to win over corruption

Confidence that corruption can be tackled is very important in multiplying number of membership, the idea, the voice and the action against corruption. The more people that become confident of the belief of winning against corruption, the more social experience less and nothing of corruption.

• No More Tolerance: the more the confidence, the stronger the intolerance become and proliferate

Once knowledge about the enormous destruction that corruption can do and people see effective solutions coming from talking and thinking together, and they each day gain units of confidence in the efficacy of their anti-corruption movement. Joly [8] and Jackson & Amundsen [9] have noted the need to grow contextresponsive systems to fight corruption. In response to corruption, many organisations and networks have emerged: the United for Wildlife Task Force; EU Cybercrime Project; National Units of Europol; European Serious & Organised Crime Centre. The response includes the building of capabilities that can be deployed in fighting corruption. Such efforts include building specialist skills; building capacity for

cryptocurrency analyses; capacity for forensic analyses of devices used in corrupt activities; advocacy skills; social mobilisation skills; behaviour change communication skills, etc. Most countries have legislated anti-corruption commissions. South Africa too has a National Anti-corruption Strategy. The experienced gains strengthen our resolve never to tolerate corruption. Indeed, corruption should no longer be tolerated.
