Understanding Corruption in the South African Construction Industry

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Abstract

Corruption persists in the construction industry, impeding service delivery. This study aimed to understand corruption among practitioners within the South African (SA) construction industry. The study included practitioners in the construction industry (private and public sector) operating across seven associations in Johannesburg, SA. Participants were recruited using a snowball sampling method. Participants completed an open-ended, semi-structured interview (12 questions), conducted face-to-face and took 45 to 60 minutes. There were a total of 11 participants. Respondents felt collusion exists due to poor ethics and that poor ethics among built environment stakeholders result in unethical behaviour. There was consensus that corruption affects the economic growth of SA and that small, micro, and medium enterprises are vulnerable when the economy performs poorly. Participants agreed that corruption could result in delayed or no completion of projects, affect quality standards and that incompetent contractors result in poor performance. Participants felt that corrupt practices result in government departments paying contractors late.

On the other hand, whistleblowing rarely occurs due to its risky nature. There was agreement that unethical practices affect securing contracts during procurement and that the manipulation of procurement processes results from a lack of transparency. Corruption is a challenge in the SA construction industry and needs to be eliminated.

Key Words: construction research; corruption; South Africa; construction industry

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Author Biographies

Snothile Mholi , Nelson Mandela University

Dr. Soni is a seasoned professional in the construction sector. He has occupied numerous senior positions in the private and the public sector for more than 22 years. He holds a PhD in Construction Management and a MSc in the Built Environment, specializing in Project Management. Dr. Soni’s research focuses on improving service delivery and eradicating corruption in the construction industry to ensure the industry’s efficiency and adequacy in meeting the needs of the population.

John Smallwood, Nelson Mandela University

John Smallwood is a Professor of Construction Management in the Department of Construction Management, Nelson Mandela University, and the Principal, Construction Research Education and Training Enterprises. Both his MSc and PhD (Construction Management) addressed construction health and safety (H&S). He has conducted extensive research and published in the areas of construction H&S, ergonomics, and occupational health, construction management education and training, environmental management, health and well-being, and primary health promotion.

 

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Published

2024-08-30

How to Cite

Soni, M., & Smallwood, J. (2024). Understanding Corruption in the South African Construction Industry. Journal of Construction Business and Management, 7(1). Retrieved from https://journals.uct.ac.za/index.php/jcbm/article/view/1522

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024): 13th Issue

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2024 Snothile Mholi , John Smallwood

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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