South Africa sinks in corruption rating

South Africa showed a “worrying trend” on a world corruption-tracking index, dropping by three points since 2019 to a score of 41 to rank in the bottom 90 of 180 countries.

Transparency International, a global organisation working in more than 100 countries, uses its corruption perception index to track the undermining of climate change efforts by global corruption.

This week it issued its latest report, with the index’s ranking list based on data from 13 independent sources. Scores of 90-100 indicate countries that are “very clean”, while 0-9 means “highly corrupt”.

The organisation says corruption contributes to the climate crisis by influencing climate policies and embezzlement and misuse of climate funds, as well as through weak environmental protection. Weak anticorruption measures in Sub-Saharan Africa diluted climate action, but it says there has been progress in countries that invested in anticorruption measures.

South Africa, it says, has a “vital opportunity” as this year’s host of the G20 summit to advocate increased climate finance commitments from member countries. It also urged South Africa to strengthen its own oversight mechanisms to ensure that domestic corruption does not interfere with crucial international processes.

Transparency International CEO Maíra Martini says: “We must urgently root out corruption before it derails meaningful climate action.” She called on governments and multilateral organisations to include anticorruption measures to “safeguard finance, rebuild trust and maximise impact”. 

Of the 180 countries ranked by Transparency International’s index, South Africa is in the bottom 90, along with the US (65). Countries are ranked according to levels of public sector corruption.

Between 2012 and 2024, 32 countries improved on the index, 47 declined and 101 remained the same. Only eight countries scored 80-90: Denmark, Finland, Singapore, New Zealand, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden. Countries at the bottom end are South Sudan, Somalia, Venezuela, Syria, Yemen and Libya.

The report says no country is immune to corruption, and manipulation by global money-laundering networks is on the increase. It cited the case of a major US company, FirstEnergy, which is accused of arranging a $60m bribe to influence public policy in its favour and slow down a move to renewable energy. Last month two former FirstEnergy executives were indicted by a federal grand jury in Ohio and charged with one count of participating in a racketeering conspiracy.

South Africa’s position as G20 host has been undermined by US secretary of state Marco Rubio snubbing a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers and central bank governors in Joburg next week.

President Donald Trump has also signalled his intentions by dismantling US attempts to fight climate change including withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, the treaty aimed at bringing down global warming to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.