"Corruption creates a lot of uncertainty in the country," said Someleze Sigudu, a 28-year-old South African, who, like many of his peers, has become frustrated by the uptick of corruption in the country and a lack of accountability by political leaders.

This is also seen in the recently released 2024 African Youth Survey where over 5,600 young people between the ages of 18 and 24 voiced their concerns over corruption in their countries.

The poll, commissioned by the Johannesburg-based Ichikowitz Family Foundation, surveyed youth from Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

Sigudu believes the South African government is failing society due to its handling of various corruption cases. This highlights the lack of significant consequences for those accused, encouraging even more corruption.

"I feel like we are not fighting enough because they are not being punished and people still eat money," he told DW. He added that corruption creates political instability and unemployment because investors would not invest in a country where corruption is very high.

Elites are involved in corruption

South African political analyst Sandile Swana suggested that dominant elites, including the top officials of the ruling African National Congress, are heavily involved in corruption.

He cited infamous scandals like the Phala Phala robbery that happened at South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's farm in 2020, and the"state capture" corruption scandal. State capture is a South African term that refers to how private individuals and companies have illegally influenced institutions to do their bidding.

In addition to these scandals, South Africa has worsened its rankings in the Corruption Index of Transparency International.

Since Corruption Watch, Transparency International's local chapter, started tracking its progress on the index 12 years ago, South Africa has never scored as low as it has in the most recent ranking, coming in between Kosovo and Vietnam at 41. This score is a decline from 42 in 2013, and two points below its initial score of 43 in 2012.

"South Africa has increasingly become both a failing state and a mafia state led by a predatory elite that has also allowed economic cannibalism in the general population where kidnappings for ransom and extortion are now the norm," Swana told DW.

Confidence in South Africa's future direction has also plummeted, according to the Corruption Watch survey, with three-quarters believing the nation is going in the wrong direction — a sentiment that has skyrocketed 24% since 2020. Amid deepening crises in South Africa, young people are calling for urgent action to reduce corruption, create jobs and improve basic services.

Youth emigration rises 

Meanwhile, the Africa Youth survey indicated that almost 60% of youth are looking to emigrate in the next five years, citing that their governments are not doing enough to tackle corruption.

Thirty-five-year-old Lucy Ntshangase, who is unemployed, told DW that she is considering going to Europe because there are "no jobs" in South Africa.

"It's nearly three years and I have been looking for jobs," she said, adding that she rarely gets a response to her job applications. This suggests to her that "the economy is bad. There are no jobs at all." 

South Africa has one of the world's highest unemployment rates. Nearly one-third of the population is unemployed — and if you include those who are no longer seeking work, the rate goes up to 41%.

The high cost of living, rolling power cuts and water shortages add to the burden.

Despite its issues, young people highlighted South Africa as by far the most appealing destination within Africa to consider as a potential home. However, its appeal as a destination may also be driving concerns among South African youth about the impact of illegal immigration on the job market and government resources, as well as fears of an increase in crime. 

US, China remain influential powers in Africa

Meanwhile, the US and China remain the most influential foreign powers, with growing positive perceptions of their impact due to deepening economic and social relations. However, this also comes with heightened concerns over resource exploitation by foreign companies.

The relationship between Africa and China is visible in their partnerships in infrastructure, agriculture, mining, trade and energy. In the recent Africa-China summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged more than $50 billion (€45 billion) in new financing to African countries over the next three years. Furthermore, he announced that China would help create 1 million jobs across the continent.

However, critics have accused Beijing of burdening Africans with crippling debt and supporting environmentally harmful projects.

Despite the longstanding relations between South Africa and Russia, the youth survey indicates that Russia's engagement in conflicts is straining positive perceptions.

South African youth may also be feeling the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine conflict affecting their day-to-day lives.

Edited by: Keith Walker