Abstract
Corruption is a global phenomenon that can be found in most countries. Whereas different countries have registered varied success in dealing with corruption, the emerging economies, particularly those in Africa, are seen as the worst affected. Although corruption is rooted in both the private and public sectors, the focus of this study is on corruption in the South African public sector. This focus is influenced by the recorded growth of the problem to levels that could be described as endemic since the advent of multi-party governance in South Africa. The study reveals that despite legislation, policies and regulations having been designed to deal with corruption, it is not abating. In fact, it is threatening to derail the dream of the rainbow nation that was born at the dawn of the new South African democracy.
The primary purpose of this study is to explore whether corruption can be eradicated through ethical leadership decision-making in the public sector. In pursuance of this purpose, the author interviewed experts in human resources, finance, supply chain, auditing and general management to determine what the causes of corruption are and to assess what can be done to reduce the stubbornly high levels thereof. The participants, who were identified through purposive sampling, also shared their understanding and experiences of ethical and unethical decision-making instances in the public sector. Based on the data from the interviews, the majority of participants expressed the opinion that corruption is rampant within the public sector, with only one dissenting view.
The research findings indicate that unethical decision-making is rampant within the public sector of South Africa. The reasons cited were manifold and ranged from political influence and lack of consequence management to a love of material wealth. The participants could not identify any best practice model in decision-making as a suggestion for eradicating unethical decision-making. Meanwhile, both the research and literature reveal that the rampant nature of corruption denotes that the society accepts it. As a result, the study concludes by recommending, among others, the development and implementation of a decision-making model that will proactively prevent the occurrence of unethical decision-making.
M.Phil.