Covid-19 graft isn’t just a South African game – look at other African countries

As South Africa emerges from months of lockdown, and we start to count the costs of the Covid-19 pandemic, one word is on everyone's lips: corruption. The president has been outspoken on the subject, going so far as to write a letter to the ruling party, saying: "Corruption robs our people of billions that could be used for their benefit. " In the latest example of this, it has emerged that South African taxpayers have been paying R15,000 each  for digital thermometers. with  Mybroadband.co.za reporting that the national government spent R14.3 million on digital thermometers to combat the Covid-19 crisis. Digital thermometers retail for less than R700. It may be some consolation that we are not alone: Bloomberg reports that Botswana, Zimbabwe and Uganda have been rocked by scandals – and in Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered details of all virus-related contracts to be published online after irregularities were uncovered at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority. – Renee Moodie

Covid-19 graft plague spurs political shake-up across Africa

By Monique Vanek and David Herbling

(Bloomberg) – African countries have generally handled their coronavirus response better than many experts feared, except for one detail: managing corruption. Kenya is the latest African nation to have its politics shaken by allegations of graft in handing out pandemic-response contracts. It follows South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Uganda, which have all been rocked by scandals of their own.

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