Individual Corruption

According to the US Department of State 2011, the public continues to perceive the police and the Department of Home Affairs as corrupt. Similarly, according to Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer 2010, a significant number of households surveyed who had contact with the police in 2009 report to have paid a bribe. The surveyed households also perceive the police as the most corrupt public institution in the country.

The US Department of State Human Rights Report 2010 also states that the South African Police Service (SAPS) remains understaffed, ill-equipped and poorly trained. A 2009 article in Institute for Security Studies shows that the population holds the police in very low esteem, referring to an opinion poll in which majority of the respondents do not trust the police. The article also notes that, while mandated to investigate corruption, the police are considered to represent one of the public organs most prone to it.

Business Corruption

According to Transparency International's Bribe Payers Index 2008, business executives consider the police to be the most corrupt institution in the country. According to the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012, not only do business executives say that South Africa performs poorly in relation to the cost of violence and organised crime to companies, but also in relation to the reliability of the police to protect companies from crime and to uphold law and order. This is corroborated by the World Bank & IFC Enterprise Surveys 2007, which reveal that a little more than three-quarters of the companies pay for security in South Africa while more than one-third of the companies identify crime, theft and disorder as major constraints to doing business in the country.

Political Corruption

In July 2009, the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO), commonly known as the 'Scorpions', was officially shut down and replaced by a new unit, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the 'Hawks'. The Scorpions have been active in investigating high-profile corruption cases, such as those involving the South African Police Service (SAPS). See the 'Public Anti-Corruption Initiatives' section for further information on the SAPS and the Scorpions. The US Department of State 2011 reports that although the Hawks were less effective than the Scorpions, the unit has arrested a number of white collar criminals for banking irregularities and fraud.

High-profile corruption cases plagued South African police units in recent years. According to the US Department of State 2010, in August 2010, National Police Chief and Head of Interpol, Jackie Selebi, was sentenced 15 years in jail for taking USD 168,000 in bribes from a drug dealer in return for secret police reports. Selebi’s successor, Bheki Cele, who took over the position as police chief in 2009, was also suspended in October 2011 due to his alleged involvement in two police office leases at inflated prices from a private company. According to an October 2011 article by Bloomsberg, Cele and other security officials were accused of neglecting procurement procedures when they agreed to the leases.

In response to widespread corruption within the police force, the SAPS is planning to launch a new anti-corruption strategy in December 2011. According to a September 2011 article by News24, the new strategy will build on prevention, detection, investigation and resolution.

Frequency

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012:
- Business executives in South Africa give the police a score of 3.6 on a 7-point scale (1 being 'cannot be relied upon at all to enforce law and order' and 7 'can always be relied upon to enforce law and order').

Transparency International: Global Corruption Barometer 2010:
- Citizens give the police a score of 4,4 on a 5-point scale (1 being 'not at all corrupt' and 5 'extremely corrupt').

- 73.9 % of households who had contact with the police in 2009 report to have paid a bribe.

Transparency International: Bribe Payers Index 2008:
- Business executives rank the police as the most corrupt public institution in the country, scoring 4 on a 5-point scale (1 being 'not at all corrupt' and 5 'extremely corrupt').

Afrobarometer: Summary of Results South Africa 2008:
- 37% of the respondents believe that some police officers are involved in corruption.

- 35% of the respondents believe that most police officers are involved in corruption.

- 11% of the respondents believe that all police officers are involved in corruption.

The World Bank & IFC: Enterprise Surveys 2007:
- 76.4% of companies surveyed pay for security.

- 38% of companies identify crime, theft and disorder as major constraints to doing business in the country.