Poor service delivery the main cause of corruption

Sharlien Tjambari 

Poor service delivery in the public sector is the main contributor to corruption. It creates opportunities for members of the public to engage in corrupt activities, collaborating with public officials in the process. This was said recently by the Deputy Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Namibia, Advocate Erna van der Merwe, who addressed the media in Swakopmund during the 5th ACC Annual Media Briefing.

Briefing the media once a year on the status of the fight against corruption in all the Regions of Namibia is one of the ACC’s educational tools to sensitise Namibians on the importance to fight corruption at all levels of society. The ACC regularly hosts corruption prevention workshops, education days and updates the public through the media on breakthroughs and arrests of people suspected of corruption.
With regard to the Erongo Region, the Chief Investigator of the ACC in the Region, Walter Kurz explained there are 79 cases active on the system. Of this a total of 30 are in the course of investigation, 17 are in court, six are new cases and 26 were thrown out by the courts.
It was also understood that there is a significant number of the above cases which dates back as far as 2012.
Kurz further explained in 2018/19 a total of 13 new cases were reported which the ACC deemed necessary to investigate.