For we combat corruption not for the world but for ourselves and our own sense of national self-respect, our sense of what we believe is right and wrong. There is a tendency in some quarters to devalue the debate over corruption. This is, in reality, partisan and silly. Such generalisations indicate nothing more than the lengths suspicious people will go to jump to conclusions. To the extent that wild rumour and untested allegation divert attention from the real issues, they can be positively dangerous in a healthy society - particularly since public discussion is conducted over an electronic network with worldwide tentacles and impact.
Corruption is too serious a subject to be trivialised.
This description provides a useful benchmark in assessing levels of corruption. We should appreciate that what we inherited from the previous order, not to mention from colonialism in Africa, was awesome. There was a total lack of disclosure, and indeed no machinery to deal with corruption. The success of that committee can be judged by the fact that there have been no proven allegations of official South African involvement in illegal arms dealings internationally. That is something of a record for a country once noted for official pariah status.