South Africa is living through an era of intense impunity – an era where wrongdoing flourishes, yet few consequences follow. Despite a comprehensive collection of anti-corruption laws, investigative commissions, and integrity frameworks, public trust continues to erode. From state capture to recurring corporate scandals, misconduct has become routine, and accountability the rare exception.

This extends far beyond political or economic concern. It strikes at our moral foundation. Our crisis is not simply corruption – it is an ethics infrastructure shortage.

The scandals of the past decade have revealed just how deeply many institutions have been hollowed out. Municipalities and state-owned enterprises meant to serve the public have been weakened by patronage and greed. The private sector has performed no better, with audit failures and collusive practices that have undermined confidence in the institutions responsible for accountability.

South Africans are fatigued. Many no longer believe that wrongdoing will be punished. Integrity, once woven into our daily life, now feels like an act of defiance. When ethics become exceptional, governance falters, and democracy loses the values that once guided it.

What is missing is an ethics infrastructure. Ethics infrastructure encompasses the values, frameworks, and leadership practices that embed integrity into institutional life. On paper, South Africa has much of this in place – from codes of conduct to the Public Protector, National Prosecuting Authority, and the Special Investigations Unit. Unfortunately, these mechanisms often operate in silos, prioritising compliance over culture.

The result is tick-box ethics. Policies exist, reports are produced (mostly unread except by their authors), yet the values underpinning them are weak. South Africa now needs a shift from mindless rule-following to mindful value-leading leadership. This is precisely where the newly released King V Report on Corporate Governance (2025) offers critical direction.

King V provides a blueprint for ethical governance. It builds on the foundations of King IV but pushes further, recognising ethics as a strategic necessity. It calls for integrated ethics governance by weaving integrity into every dimension of leadership, decision-making, and organisational performance.

The report is crucial for South African organisations across sectors, as it provides a comprehensive principles-based framework for corporate governance. It advocates mindful application, avoiding a culture of cosmetic compliance.

King V makes it clear that ethical governance cannot live in policies alone. It must be visible, practiced, and embodied. This means transparent decision-making, ethical leadership at the top, and full alignment between organisational purpose and practice.

Principles 1 and 2 set the tone for ethical corporate governance. Principle 1 states that “the governing body leads ethically and effectively as the focal point of corporate governance in the organisation.” Principle 2 requires that “the governing body governs the ethics of the organisation in a way that enables an ethical culture and responsible corporate citizenship.” These principles emphasise that the governing body should display integrity, competence, responsibility, accountability, fairness, and transparency. Ethics should not be treated as an accessory, but as the foundation of all leadership choices, ultimately leading to better governance outcomes.

The report further reflects a world where not only ethical leadership but also sustainability and human rights are no longer optional but fundamental. By placing ESG and Business and Human Rights (BHR) at the heart of strategic purpose and long-term value creation, King V signals a significant shift, namely that corporate governance is not simply about control but about conscience and responsibility.

King V’s lesson is clear: ethical leadership underpins sustainable value. This confirms a global reality – that ethics and profitability are connected. In a world increasingly shaped by transparency, rising ESG scrutiny, and social expectations, ethical governance is no longer just responsible, but strategically indispensable.

Strengthening ethics is not only a moral imperative but also an economic one. Corruption imposes a hidden tax on every citizen that drives up costs, erodes service delivery, and deters investment.

Rebuilding integrity in South Africa requires a cultural shift – from compliance to conscience, from opportunism to stewardship. Laws may punish corruption, but only ethics can prevent it.

Desmond Tutu once said, “There comes a point where we need to stop pulling people out of the river and go upstream to find out why they’re falling in.” The same applies to corruption. Unless we strengthen our ethical infrastructure, we will remain trapped in a cycle of scandal, despair, and repair.

King V offers the roadmap. What remains now is the collective will to rebuild not only our institutions but our shared sense of right and wrong.

South Africa’s long-term recovery depends on it.

Dr Liezl Groenewald is the CEO of The Ethics Institute.