Exploring Corruption in the Public Procurement Systems in South Africa: Towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goal (10 Reduced Inequalities)

Government corruption has been the root of poor service delivery in developing countries. This article focuses on corruption, its causes, and effects on procurement systems in South African local government. The paper argues that corruption is widening the economic gap between the rich and the poor, which reverses the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 10, which aims to reduce inequalities. The paper adopts a literature review analysis to establish the existence of corruption in local government procurement systems, which have caused socio-economic disparities in communities. The paper observes that the lack of good ethical conduct, the legacy of apartheid, the lack of knowledge and skills on procurement, lack of monitoring and evaluation structures, and political appointments trigger corruption in local government procurement systems. The paper concludes that corruption in the local government procurement systems is ever-growing, leading to further impoverishment of many citizens in communities. Corruption further increases socio-economic inequalities, which is a step backwards towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 10.