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You cannot fight corruption by fighting corruption
/in Ethics opinions /by julieby Prof Leon van Vuuren | Published on 25 August 2020 for The Ethics Institute monthly newsletter Corruption has become endemic to our society. This means that there are no longer small pockets of corruption. It is pervasive. Eskom. PPE. Money not reaching the poor. An estimated R61.5 billion of irregular government spending during 2019. Bankrupt municipalities. […]
Why are South Africans disrespecting COVID-19 regulations?
/in Ethics opinions /by julieby Prof Deon Rossouw | Published on 24 July 2020 for The Ethics Institute monthly newsletter Our President, the Minister of Health, and a number of other members of our national cabinet have on various occasions reprimanded – some would say scolded – South Africans for not adhering to the myriad of regulations that […]
The influence of COVID-19 on the mental health curve
/in Ethics opinions /by julieby Nicole Konstantinopoulos | Published on 26 June 2020 for The Ethics Institute monthly newsletter We are currently facing more than one pandemic. Yes, COVID-19 may be getting all the attention right now, but there are other pertinent issues in our society. Some may argue that racism is an infectious disease, and the #BlackLivesMatter […]
Reclaiming the rational middle ground
/in Ethics opinions /by julieby Kris Dobie | Published on 26 June 2020 for The Ethics Institute monthly newsletter It is sometimes difficult to come to grips with our angry society. It seems social media in general – and Twitter specifically – has become a warzone annexed by people with radical views. If you spend too much time there, you can […]
National Lockdown: Homo Empathicus under the gaze of the law
/in Ethics opinions /by julieby Rehilwe Senatla | Published on 26 June 2020 for The Ethics Institute monthly newsletter Recent times have never seen a more challenging battle as the one found now between the law and the idea of doing right – as based on empathy, social cooperation, and mutual aid. The Covid-19 national lockdown has seen this battle become […]
When rules don’t rule, ok.
/in Ethics opinions /by julieby Kris Dobie | Published on 25 May 2020 for The Ethics Institute monthly newsletter Today I found myself abiding by the rules and being angry at myself for doing so. (The rules in question are of course the South African COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.) I couldn’t help but think that my response was irrational. Either you […]
What happened to our moral autonomy?
/in Ethics opinions /by julieby Ms Liezl Groenewald | Published on 25 May 2020 for The Ethics Institute monthly newsletter In April this year the World Health Organisation (WHO) lauded South Africa’s efforts in slowing down the COVID-19 pandemic transmissions through its “meticulously crafted” approach to stay ahead of the virus’ spread. By now we are all too familiar […]
Ethics during lockdown
/0 Comments/in Ethics opinions /by julieby Ms Dantia Richards | Published on 29 April 2020 for The Ethics Institute monthly newsletter
The moral behaviour of South Africans during the national lockdown, gives me moments of both sheer joy and painful disappointment. As South Africans, often referred to as the ‘rainbow nation’, it is astounding to see the diverse effect on individuals; and the variety of responses to COVID-19 and lockdown this ‘rainbow nation’ has delivered.
Driving to my closest shopping centre, I see a disturbing amount of people completely disregarding the measures put in place by our President to keep South Africans safe during the largest pandemic we have faced in our lifetime. People are still roaming the streets as if they have a pink slip allowing them to do so.
This is not a time for a Moral Moratorium, but for Moral Imagination
/0 Comments/in Ethics opinions /by julieby Prof Deon Rossouw | Published on 29 April 2020 for The Ethics Institute monthly newsletter
Crisis always has the potential of bringing out the best and the worst in human beings. We have already seen much of both in the current Corona crisis. We have seen gestures of goodwill where people make personal sacrifices for the sake of others who are detrimentally affected by the Pandemic. However, we have also seen people who make exceptions of themselves by not abiding by the measures announced to curb the spread of the Corona virus, thereby recklessly putting their own and the health and safety of others at risk.
The main culprits of weak ethical cultures
/0 Comments/in Ethics opinions /by julieby Prof Leon van Vuuren and Dr. Paul Vorster | Published on 25 March 2020 for The Ethics Institute monthly newsletter
The Ethics Institute recently conducted research to determine the extent to which organisational ethical culture contributes to ethical failures. The survey was done in 19 medium to large private sector organisations across all industries. A total of 2791 employees participated in the survey.
It was evident from the research that organisations with weak ethical cultures do not adhere to principles of good governance and ethics. It can be argued that there is a causal link between ‘strong ethical cultures’ and ‘good performance’. This is especially true if we consider the financial damage that organisations with poor ethics have suffered in recent times.
COVID-19 is Humanity’s ‘Finest Hour’
/0 Comments/in Ethics opinions /by julieby Dr. Paul Vorster | Published on 25 March 2020 for The Ethics Institute monthly newsletter
Humanity now faces a threat second to none. As of writing this article there have been 424 802 infections with 18 962 deaths due to the SARS Cov-2 virus that causes the respiratory disease known as COVID-19. Over 197 territories have been affected by this pandemic. It is essentially a global threat. It is harming our economies as stock markets fall and countries effectively shut their borders in a total ‘shutdown’. The effect of this virus is not just illness, but possible economic collapse and in the worst-case, social collapse.
In the recent weeks I have seen stories of people panicking and buying out essential goods from supermarkets. In a more horrific turn of events, my local supermarket had incidents where older people, who are at most risk of death from this pandemic, were shunted aside as younger and stronger citizens with more buying power stockpiled goods.
There are stories of people ignoring the risk of the virus and being irresponsible, with a new social media sensation where people expose themselves to the virus as a sort of ‘exciting’ risk. Do they not realise that their health may affect the health of others? Especially those with chronic diseases or the elderly.
Ethical failures to blame for the poor state of SOEs
/0 Comments/in Ethics opinions /by julieby Dr. Paul Vorster and Nicole Konstantinopoulos| Published on 26 February 2020 for The Ethics Institute monthly newsletter
South Africa is in trouble. State-owned enterprises (SOEs), which have the responsibility to ensure that crucial services are provided to enable the critical functioning of the South African economy, are failing. One doesn’t have to look far to see the dire effect of blackouts (i.e., loadshedding), ineffective rail infrastructure, or the numerous incidents of public looting and mismanagement at SOEs responsible for financial investment and development.