South Africa’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has urged Commonwealth countries in Africa to work together to tackle corruption.
She warned that corruption has become global, sophisticated, and deeply damaging to states.
Speaking at the opening of the 15th Commonwealth Regional Conference for Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa on Monday, Kubayi stressed the need for strong, modern, and collaborative approaches to fighting corruption.
“This conference sends a strong message that corruption will not be tolerated,” Kubayi said. “Anybody who thinks they can be corrupt and get away with it must think again.”
The Minister highlighted the dangers corruption poses to democratic institutions, economic stability, and national development, using South Africa’s state capture era as a case study.
“We were pulled from the brink of total collapse,” she said. “Had state capture continued unabated, our country would have been reduced to a failed state.”
Kubayi pointed out how corruption had weakened critical institutions like the South African Revenue Service (SARS), citing a commission of inquiry that found skilled professionals had been pushed out, and criminal networks operated with little resistance.
She added that corruption is not only a public sector problem. “Public sector corruption is also enabled by so-called reputable large private sector companies,” she said, referencing the Steinhoff scandal and illicit financial flows estimated at over $50 billion annually from Africa.
Kubayi emphasized the need for modern tools like artificial intelligence in the fight against corruption. “AI systems can detect suspicious patterns, track illicit financial flows, and even provide leads by mining social media for signs of ill-gotten wealth,” she explained.
The Minister welcomed the upcoming launch of the Special Investigating Unit’s Anti-Corruption and Cyber Academy, which will focus on building skills to combat both financial crime and cybercrime. She said it would also foster collaboration across Africa and globally.
“This is a call to action for all sectors of society to work together,” the minister said, referencing the conference theme: ‘Enhancing an Inclusive Participation of State and Non-State Actors to Prevent and Combat Corruption’.
Kubayi also called for better protection of whistleblowers and stronger roles for civil society organisations, which she said are vital in advancing transparency, accountability, and democratic reform.
“The one way we can make the dream of building a better Africa a reality is by effectively fighting corruption,” she concluded.
The three-day conference, hosted in Johannesburg, brings together leaders and experts from across the continent to discuss solutions for curbing corruption and improving governance.
