RESULTS OF AN EXPERT PANEL SURVEY

This report presents the results of a survey conducted between August and October 2000 by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) involving 154 experts on corruption in South Africa. The study explores conceptual understandings of corruption, its perceived extent and causes, and evaluates the effectiveness of government responses, anti-corruption agencies, and specific strategies.

• Experts primarily understand corruption as the "Abuse" of "power, position, public funds and resources, authority or office" for personal gain, with bribery, nepotism, and fraud cited as common examples.
• Perceptions of corruption levels vary by regime; 37% of respondents believe the current government is less corrupt than under apartheid, while 34% view it as about the same.
• While corruption is recognized as a significant issue, 64% of experts believe South Africa faces other more serious problems, specifically crime, security, and job creation.
• The primary cause of corruption in government is perceived to be "weak checks and balances" and mismanagement, whereas greed is seen as the main cause of corruption in society overall.
• The Special Investigating Unit is viewed as the most effective anti-corruption agency (85%), followed by the Office of the Auditor-General (74%) and the Office of the Public Protector (62%).
• A majority of experts (83%) believe the government is committed to fighting corruption, and 60% feel the government handles the matter "very or fairly well".
• Lack of resources is identified as a major hurdle, with 73% of experts stating the government does not have sufficient resources to fight corruption.
• The most effective anti-corruption strategies identified by experts include greater transparency in government tender procedures, more resources for investigation and prosecution, and the prosecution of high-profile individuals.
• Experts suggest that the most appropriate sanction for both elected politicians and public officials found guilty of corruption is that they "lose their jobs and go to prison".

APA

Camerer, L. (n.d.). RESULTS OF AN EXPERT PANEL SURVEY. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Momo65.pdf

Chicago

Camerer, Lala. RESULTS OF AN EXPERT PANEL SURVEY. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Momo65.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Camerer |first1=Lala |title=RESULTS OF AN EXPERT PANEL SURVEY |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Momo65.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{camererndresults, author = {Camerer, Lala}, title = {{RESULTS OF AN EXPERT PANEL SURVEY}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Momo65.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }