• The social recognition given to wealthy persons irrespective of how they obtained

    their wealth.

• Greed and consumptive social behaviour leading to an increase in the competition to

    earn illegally and amass wealth.

• High- level protection given to corrupt people from top- level and the lack of effective    

    implementation of anti- corruption laws resulting into the failure to arrest and    

    prosecute corrupt officials in courts of law and punish those that are convicted.

• Tolerance towards corruption in the community due to sympathy for poorly paid

    public servants who supplement their meagre salaries with small bribes. This attitude

    of tolerance is reinforced by the belief that those involved in more serious cases of

    corruption do not face sanctions.

•  Fear or a laxity within the society to report and testify against acts of corruption.

    Poverty and low levels of literacy causing a lack of confidence to challenge people in

    positions of authority when they engage in corrupt practices.

•  The absence of clear guidelines, service standards and government
    bureaucracy presents the public with several layers in approval processes that

    provide opportunities to extract bribes. This is compounded by the powerlessness of

    the ordinary people to demand better service delivery.

• A long standing culture of patronage in society that plays a significant part