Homeless man South Africa

An armed security officer eyes a homeless man walking past with a bag of food on his back in Johannesburg, South Africa. 8 April 2020. Thomson Reuters Foundation/ Handout via Ghulshan Khan

Inequality driven anti-graft campaign amid SA corruption pandemic

Avatar Agency Group and Unequal Scenes have partnered with Corruption Watch to shine light on how corruption fuels inequality in South Africa.

Homeless man South Africa

An armed security officer eyes a homeless man walking past with a bag of food on his back in Johannesburg, South Africa. 8 April 2020. Thomson Reuters Foundation/ Handout via Ghulshan Khan

A new campaign is underway using aerial images to depict the divide that still exists today between the rich and poor in South Africa, and to highlight how corruption maintains this status quo.

The initiative aims to highlight that the poor and vulnerable continue to suffer the most when corruption is endemic in a society.

The ‘EndInequality Campaign,’ which also uses audio messages, urge people to be proactive in countering the scourge of corruption.

Johnny Miller, founder of Unequal Scenes, said: Through my photography, I see the unvarnished truth of inequality around the world from above, and Corruption Watch seeks to shine the same light on corruption through their reporting platforms. The two projects are well aligned and I’m glad that my images can help further the message of anti-corruption and transparency in South Africa.”

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Aerial shot of Milnerton, Cape town,South Africa.Twitter @UnequalScenes

The organisers say the divide between the haves and have nots is evident in South Africans’ polar-different lifestyles.

“This campaign, with its graphic representation of inequality, can help to nudge the public to report corruption to put a stop to the rich getting richer whilst the poor are getting poorer, because of corrupt individuals who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the most disadvantaged in our communities.”

Chief Creative Officer of Avatar, Veli Ngubane, says the opportunity to work with Corruption Watch on this campaign could not have come at a better time, when the (anti-corruption) message is as relevant as ever.  

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“The stark inequalities in our country have been brutally exposed by the global pandemic, and this visual representation of our reality will, we hope, inspire people to get involved and do their part in ending corruption, and work towards a more equal society.”

The corrupt accuse others of corruption

“In a world where we have seen the corrupt accuse others of corruption, it was important to encourage people to report corruption to a credible organisation such as Corruption Watch or any relevant monitoring and legal institution,” Ngubane said.

Corruption Watch said the strong visual and creative message would inspire people who care about South Africa’s  future to get involved in exposing corruption.“

We have seen through our work in communities across South Africa, how corruption fuels the unacceptable levels of inequality in our country,” said Moira Campbell, Head of Communications at Corruption Watch.

“It robs people of their right to the most basic and essential services, with devastating consequences, as evidenced by the daily reports of COVID-19 related corruption dominating the news.”