ABSTRACT
While there have been legal and institutional measures aimed at combating corruption in the nations in Southern Africa, the authors report that efforts have not been successful primarily because of poor planning and inadequate implementation. Also, political interference has led to weak financial systems, maladministration, resource misallocation, and noncompliance. In the nation of South Africa, levels of corruption have increased, and foreign and domestic investment has decreased. In the nation of Lesotho, several anti-corruption strategies have been adopted, and an anti-corruption agency has been established. Lesotho has also signed and ratified the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, and other protocols against Corruption. The nation of Mozambique remains one of the poorest countries in the world, despite the existence of legislation and institutional mechanisms to combat corruption. The nation of Angola has had little success in creating an anti-corruption framework for reporting oil revenues and government expenditures. The nation of Botswana has established a Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime, which is involved in investigating and preventing corruption and educating the public regarding corruption. The nation of Zimbabwe’s first anti-corruption law was introduced in 2004, establishing a Commission to combat corruption. In summary, the nations of South Africa, despite the existence of laws and anti-corruption commissions and agencies, have not experienced a decisive response to corruption. Political, administrative, and private sector corruption is rooted not only in individual or group greed and capital resource accumulation but also in the lack of political will on the part of the local and regional elites.
