Author(s): Kola Olusola Odeku
This article explores the potential of a life-style audit, a proactive mechanism for rooting out corruption by identifying and isolating a corrupt employee and officials particularly at the local sphere of government in South Africa for investigation immediately the life-style suddenly starts showing that the employee/the official is living beyond legitimate income and means. This anti-corruption tool for fighting and curbing corruption is speedy and has low-cost implication. The article focuses on the local sphere of government because of the unique responsibilities and duties it has been constitutionally entrusted to do. This is said against the backdrop that local government is the closet to the poor and the indigent people who live in the local and rural communities this notwithstanding, they are equally entitled to quality basic service delivery by the employees and officials of the local government. This article accentuates that corruption by the local government employees and officials has been the major impediment to the delivery of quality services to the people and the community at large. Life-style audit is therefore considered as a proactive anti-corruption tool to identify and root out corruption before it gets out of hand.