First person: Kavisha’s fight against corruption in South Africa

Twenty years have now passed since the adoption of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) – a landmark convention that seeks to develop a comprehensive response to a global problem.  

South Africa ratified UNCAC in 2004 and is currently implementing its National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which promotes a whole of society approach towards tackling the issue. But what do we mean by “whole-of-society”?  

Kavisha Pillay – Head of Stakeholder Relations and Campaigns for Corruption Watch, UN Youth Ambassador, a member of the President's National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council, and a member of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC’s) Integrity Youth Advisory Board – has a few ideas. 

“I was part of this “Born Free” generation born in 1992, two years before we [South Africa] got to democracy. There was the feeling that post-apartheid South Africa was going to be different from what our parents had grown up in – that there wouldn't be the deep inequality that they had experienced.” 

Kavisha believes that South Africa’s unique history plays a large role in how corruption took root and is viewed in the country. 

“Corruption in South Africa is a difficult subject because there are many who want to blame everything wrong in the country on corruption,” she says. “It's a little bit more nuanced than that. 

“What we didn't consider post-apartheid was that so many people were now earning an income for the first time and able to look after their family members - to send them to university, own a house, a car, and purchase air travel. I don't think that we were thinking about these temptations. And sometimes the temptation is: I never want to be poor again. We underestimated how to bring people into a new government and a new system. 

“And then, it’s a very different picture when you engage at the community level. There are people who have no other choice but to participate in a system where corruption is endemic, to get access basic rights and services, or hold their jobs.” 

Reducing inequality to counter corruption 

Kavisha has worked for the civil society organization Corruption Watch for 11 years. She travels the country meeting with youth, government, religious and traditional leaders, and the private sector. She says these interactions have given her an acute awareness of her fellow citizens’ concerns and how high a task her country faces to eliminate corruption.

“I don’t excuse or condone corruption. But the way in which our society is structured compels people to participate in corruption. You must meet people at their level and try to understand: why is this appealing to you? 

“It is quite lazy at this point to simply say that people engage in corruption because of greed or loose morals,” Kavisha insists. 

“If you don't deal with inequality, you’re always going to see higher levels of corruption, of crime, of unemployment. Inequality is South Africa’s original sin, and we won’t see any changes until we address it.

“I used to be young and naïve, thinking that I could see a corruption-free society in my lifetime,” Kavisha admits. “But the way in which society works, I don’t think it is realistic. I’ve tempered my expectations to seeing a reduced level of corruption in my lifetime.“

The power of youth 

“As a young person and a woman, in rooms that are often predominantly male and predominantly older, you’re treated as a token and not taken seriously.  

“But young people actually have a stake. Should we have the loudest voice and the biggest platform? No, I don't think so, but we need to include young people in these conversations, in legal reform and implementation because we will be involved much longer.”  

Kavisha says outreach to South African youth is crucial to prevent apathy around corruption. 

“We [Corruption Watch] ran a survey on young people’s perceptions on corruption. The survey showed that young people have a bleak outlook on the state of corruption today, believe that it's going to get worse and since they can't change this, they might as well play the game and participate in it,” she laments.  

“What is positive is that awareness among youth is growing, and I’m hoping the run-up to the election will turn that awareness to action.  

“Last year I was appointed to serve on the President's Advisory Council, the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council, and I'm the youngest [member],” Kavisha continues. “When I talk at public events, young people come up to me asking how to join the movement.” 

Struggle of a lifetime 

“To me, the starting point is a mass rejection of corruption,” Kavisha muses. “What if all of us were asked for a bribe to access a hospital and we all said no, absolutely no? Would that change things? I don’t know. Is this me being naïve? Maybe – but I would hope so.

“We don’t have the luxury to give up. I am mentally prepared for the long game,” she concludes.  

“For many of us, this is the struggle of a lifetime.” 

FURTHER INFORMATION

• UNODC supports the work of the South African President’s National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council (NACAC), of which Kavisha is a member. In November 2023, UNODC and GIZ supported the hosting of the Council’s first Anti-Corruption National Dialogue, which brought together representatives from government, business and civil society to consider strategies that have been proposed and assess work currently underway. UNODC will provide technical support to the NACAC workstream on procurement reform in order for an advisory to the President to be presented in 2024.

• UNODC’s GRACE initiative – or Global Resources for Anti-Corruption Education and Youth Empowerment – established the “YouthLED” Integrity Advisory Board. The Boards consists of 25 talented young people who are working with the GRACE Team in advancing education and youth empowerment as a key tool to prevent and fight corruption locally, regionally and globally.
  
  https://grace.unodc.org/grace/en/youth-empowerment/YouthLED.html