By Des Erasmus
Corruption in South Africa keeps chewing through taxpayer money and trust, with the latest global index suggesting the country is still not convincing the world it is turning a corner.
South Africa’s score in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released on Tuesday, held steady at 41 out of 100 in 2025, leaving it below the global average of 42. It ranked 81 out of 182 countries and territories.
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The CPI scores countries on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), based on expert assessments and perceptions of public-sector corruption.
For 2025, Denmark, Finland and Singapore were ranked as the least corrupt. The most corrupt were listed as South Sudan, Somalia and Venezuela.
The index “reveals a concerning picture of long-term decline in leadership to tackle corruption, alongside limited signs of progress,” said Transparency International.
“Corruptionis worsening globally, with even established democracies experiencing rising corruption amid a decline in leadership,” it said.
Corruption Watch, Transparency International’s South African chapter, said of the local results: “South Africa’s anti-corruption efforts, as reflected in this year’s index, are still found wanting as the country stagnates with a score of 41, the same as in 2024, and still below the global average”.
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There had been “little to no progress in the last three years,” Corruption Watch said.
“While the score has seldom given cause for celebration — remaining steadfastly below the 50 mark — the dip over the past two years to 41 is certainly cause for concern as it suggests that corruption is not being taken seriously enough by our leaders,” said Corruption Watch executive director, Lebogang Ramafoko.
“Despite the depressing result, there is still some room for encouragement: South Africa was removed from the FATF grey list in 2025 following consistent efforts from financial governance structures; the country hosted a successful G20 Summit; and corruption allegations within the criminal justice system are being investigated by two constitutionally supported processes, namely the Madlanga commission and the ad hoc committee of parliament.
“These developments relate to the important point that the CPI measures perceptions of corruption, not actual reports from the public, which means that sometimes recent developments are not always reflected in the report,” said Ramafoko.
President Cyril Ramaphosa set up the Madlanga commission in July 2025 as a judicial commission of inquiry into criminality, political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system. This followed damning public allegations made by the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who alleged that a criminal syndicate had infiltrated parts of the justice system.
Apart from the Madlanga Commission and the ad hoc committee, the country continues to face a long list of high-profile cases and investigations.
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In the Free State, the R255 million asbestos corruption case involving former premier and ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule and co-accused was postponed again in January, with the next court date set for March.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the high court this month dismissed another attempt by former president Jacob Zuma and French arms company Thales to appeal in the long-running arms deal fraud, corruption and money laundering case.
Separately, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), has said that the high-profile Tembisa Hospital probe showed evidence of over R2 billion in looting from that one hospital. Investigations are still continuing, and the amount is expected to increase.
As for sub-Saharan Africa, Transparency International said the region was the lowest-performing globally, with “an average score of 32 out of 100”.
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