LETTER: Public must refuse to pay bribes
Extorters carry on with their criminal behaviour because people don’t always know their rights and pay up
Dave King’s letter refers (“Extortion by the public sector — not corruption by the private sector”, November 28).
I teach corporate ethics and anticorruption principles to employees in both the public and private sectors. Through this I have the pleasure of meeting hundreds of good people who share their experiences. Sadly, I increasingly hear stories of honest public servants being threatened by unscrupulous colleagues that their hard work is making the lazy ones look bad.
Unethical leaders abuse their power and position to line their pockets. When they are questioned or confronted, they threaten to dismiss or harm the complainant.
Extortion also seems to have become commonplace when civilians seek a service to be rendered by a public official. For example, renewing a driver’s licence or obtaining a passport. I have personally encountered a lack of service unless I pay an “extra” for a service that is legally due by the official.
Similar stories are relayed to me in almost every class I teach. Refusing to render a legal service under threat of extortion is not only illegal, but also highly unethical as the official earns a salary to do a job.
Fortunately, I understand that extortion is a criminal offence and therefore insist on the service, often at the risk of waiting for an unreasonably long time. But often, as I have learnt in my classes, those being extorted do not realise they are the victims of a crime. Under the false impression that they did something wrong, the crime is not reported to the police, other authorities or even the boss of the offender.
This allows extorters to carry on with their criminal behaviour to the detriment of the public and a prosperous future for SA. My advice? Refuse to pay the extortion fee and report the person, even if it takes personal courage or leads to inconvenience.
We have no choice if we want to live in a country where fairness prevails.
Janette Minnaar
Pretoria
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.