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With the seventh international Mandela Day just past, it’s clear that July is observed by many people around the world as an opportunity to serve the people around them and do good in their communities for at least 67 minutes – one for each year Mandela devoted to public service. In this article, first published on the website of multinational auditing company Mazars, the firm’s forensic director Keeran Madhav has listed 67 good reasons to fight corruption.
Madhav informs us that corruption is not just manifest in the actual deed. Corruption has a surplus of knock-on effects which appear in various ways throughout our society, and which contribute to the high levels of negativity and suspicion which are often seen and felt. These effects are felt regardless of the scale of the corruption.
“We believe that one of the major contributors to why ordinary citizens feel [hopeless] is the high levels of fraud and corruption that have beset our beloved country. This has become so prevalent, and so corrosive that most of us feel it has become the norm and there is nothing we can do about it,” wrote Madhav.
People must fight their feelings of indifference, he wrote, because if they don’t, there will be negative repercussions. By fighting corruption, we’ll help to realise all of the potential that we know we have. We will:
- Feel empowered instead of impotent
- Realise that poverty can be overcome
- Feel safe on our streets and in our homes
- Know our hospitals provide excellent healthcare, and that the right medicine is available to all of us
- Know that our children will receive an excellent education irrespective of where we may live
- Become highly competitive in the global economy
- Reduce the input cost of production
- Be the favoured destination for international investment
- Want to invest ourselves and our finances in our own country
- Know that each person can feed his or her family
- Know our best public policies will be properly enacted and effectively enforced
- Be sure our daily deeds as ordinary South Africans count
- Re-ignite our belief in the justice system
- Strengthen and uphold our democracy
- Enjoy the high regard and respect of other societies
- Live with respect and personal dignity
- Feel secure that our infrastructure is well maintained
- Know that political intolerance will not be sanctioned
- Be free to speak our own truth
- Know that our taxes are being used for projects that serve the public good and not a small minority
- Enjoy one another’s prosperity without worrying how it was obtained
- Know our roads are safe
- Know that each of us matters and has a role in society
- Know our taxes are being used efficiently to uplift our communities
- Help stem inflation
- Know that service delivery is not hindered
- Be assured that actions have consequences
- Eradicate fear and its progeny, hate
- Stem the flight of some of our best and brightest minds
- Know that no man is above another and we are all equal
- Eradicate greed
- Know your identity (ID) number is always safe…and only belongs to you
- Not lose hope
- Be able to trust and revere our leaders
- Know our privacy is protected
- Feel secure online
- Know that our human rights are inalienable
- Be proud to live in a society renowned for its morality
- Know that race or gender does not matter
- Trust that our authorities have our best interests at heart
- Curb the abuse of power
- Trust our media is telling the truth
- Be confident that those in pivotal positions have the necessary skills to do the job
- Know that people in power are not being appointed on the basis of who or what they support
- Feel more secure in all aspects of life
- Know that South Africa has a sustainable financial future
- Look forward to retiring in South Africa
- Want to live here, always
- Know your luggage will reach its destination without being pilfered
- Restore our mental and emotional well being
- Know 100% who you’re hiring
- Always be treated fairly
- Know that everyone is treated equally and has access to the same opportunities
- Restore faith in our fellow citizens and not be judgemental
- Feel that our wellbeing as a nation is a priority
- Feel good about and look forward to bringing a child into our society
- Increase employment opportunities
- Know that we are free and united
- Finally bury the pain of our past and look to the future
- Know that bribery won’t be tolerated
- Improve the quality of life for all South Africans
- Bridge the gap between the poor and rich
- Restore trust in all South Africans in the eyes of the world
- Dispel the any perception that South Africa is one of the most corrupt nations in the world
- Create a culture of compliance
- Prevent anarchy from prevailing
- Honour the life and teachings of Nelson Mandela and ensure his legacy lives on.
