Government says the negative media reporting on South Africa's ranking in an international corruption perception survey is feeding into a pessimistic outlook that will only damage the national psyche and prospects for economic growth.

“We acknowledge that there is a level of corruption across society and that together we must confront it wherever it rears its head. However, it is pessimistic to state that South Africa is at a point of no return,” said the Acting Director-General of the Department of Communications, Donald Liphoko, on Wednesday.

Liphoko was reacting to media reports after the release of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2014 and the subsequent comments by Corruption Watch.

The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index rated South Africa 44 out of 100. The lower the score the more corrupt a country is perceived to be. Of the 175 countries scored, South Africa ranked 67th.

Liphoko said it was important for the media to not only report the facts but to enrich the country's debate on important national issues in a responsible manner.

According to Liphoko, the country’s legal and institutional frameworks as well as public policy pronouncements stand vehemently against corruption.

“The government has tested mechanisms and bodies dealing with allegations of corruption and we should recognise the ongoing work done by such bodies to root out corruption,” Liphoko said.

Since the advent of democracy, the Promotion of Access to Information Act and the Promotion of Access to Justice Act were passed to create an accountable, responsive government.

This is further strengthened by the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (2004) and the introduction of the Public Finance Management Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act.

South Africa is a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

“These laws form a solid legislative basis to fight corruption. As a signatory to the Convention, we are obliged to implement a wide range of anti-corruption measures aimed to promote the prevention, detection and sanctioning of corruption,” said Liphoko.

In his 2014 State of the Nation Address, President Jacob Zuma also announced the establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Prevention and Combating of Corruption, whose purpose is to oversee the work of state organs aimed at fighting the scourge of corruption in the public and private sectors.

“These are some of the initiatives of government to address corruption challenges. Poor governance can critically undermine national development and thus accountability is achieved through a system of institutional checks and balances including Parliament, oversight institutions and the judiciary,” said Liphoko.

He said an effective and efficient public service is easily undermined by poor ethics and corruption, and government will not allow such acts to thrive.

He mentioned that the National Development Plan clearly highlights that the Vision for 2030 is a South Africa that has zero tolerance for corruption.

In 2030, South Africa will be a society in which citizens do not offer bribes and have the confidence and knowledge to hold public and private officials to account, and in which leaders have integrity and high ethical standards. 

“Our efforts should be focused on making this vision a reality,” Liphoko said.