8.2m homes or 1.7m classrooms: The price of corruption in South Africa
South Africa lost billions to corruption and state capture. But what do those numbers actually mean in houses, classrooms, clinics and jobs?
An official in Durban allegedly stole R420,000 from job seekers by promising them employment, highlighting the exploitation of desperate individuals during South Africa's high unemployment crisis. This is not an isolated incident, as similar scams have been reported in Cape Town, Gauteng, and the Eastern Cape. The government's plan to recruit 10,000 additional labour inspectors has not materialised, with none appointed as of September 2026.
Despite this plan, the unemployment rate remains high, with the official rate at 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, as reported by the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) 2026.
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