Investigating corruption in South Africa

This report evaluates the effectiveness of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) as South Africa's principal anti-corruption agency and examines the implications of the 2019 creation of a new Investigating Directorate within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The author argues that the Hawks have historically lacked a dedicated anti-corruption focus and have suffered from political compromise and weak investigative capacity, particularly regarding complex financial crimes. While the new NPA directorate is seen as a necessary step to address high-profile corruption, the report warns of potential inter-agency rivalry and the risk that the Hawks' own specialized capacities may be further neglected.

• The Hawks are not a dedicated anti-corruption agency, as their mandate focuses on 'priority crime' rather than corruption exclusively. While the Constitutional Court identifies them as the principal body for fighting corruption, the report notes that 'corruption has been low on the Hawks list of priorities in recent years'.
• The Hawks' performance in investigating corruption is characterized by low standards and a focus on minor cases. The report suggests the agency is 'going after small fry', citing examples such as a municipal ward councillor defrauding a municipality of R20,000 and a case involving a R500,000 bribe to an immigration officer.
• The Hawks lack transparency and clear data regarding their anti-corruption efforts. The report states that 'Information from the SAPS does little to clarify how the Hawks are dealing with corruption', noting that reporting on the Serious Corruption component in the 2017/18 annual report was limited to a single brief paragraph.
• President Ramaphosa established a new Investigating Directorate within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on 20 March 2019 to investigate 'serious, high profile or complex corruption'. This includes cases arising from the Zondo, Nugent, and Mpati Commissions of Inquiry.
• The creation of the NPA Investigating Directorate creates a significant overlap in mandates with the Hawks, which may lead to 'rivalry and conflict' and 'tension' over jurisdiction. The report draws a parallel to the historical rivalry between the Scorpions and the SAPS.

APA

Bruce, D. (2019). Investigating corruption in South Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar-26-1.pdf

Chicago

Bruce, David. Investigating corruption in South Africa. Institute for Security Studies, 2019. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar-26-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bruce |first1=David |title=Investigating corruption in South Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=October 2019 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar-26-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bruce2019investigating, author = {Bruce, David}, title = {{Investigating corruption in South Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2019}, month = oct, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar-26-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }