Constructing corruption from minibus and taxi drivers’ verbal accounts in the city of Livingstone.
Date
2021
Authors
Musukwa, Saul
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
Bribery involving traffic police officers and minibus as well as taxi drivers in Livingstone, (Zambia) is a social problem despite efforts being made to reduce corruption. Police bribing drivers and drivers bribing the police have continued to occur without being abetted. The purpose of this study was to understand motives of minibus and taxi drivers’ involvement in bribery with traffic police officers in Livingstone. Unstructured interviews were used to collect the data. In total 25 respondents who were willing to be part of the study, were enlisted using maximum variation sampling. Interpretive phenomenological analysis with some modification embracing Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method of analysis was used to analyze textual
data. The findings were that both police officers and drivers were corrupt. Police officers used underhand methods like Looking for faults, mounting roadblocks charging drivers wrongly and seeking contributions. Police officers went on to solicit bribes by asking a driver to develop a plan or tell the driver that he knew what to do. Drivers solicited a bribe by offering cash, food, drinks and talk time. Drivers solicited a bribe when in the wrong or when a case was concocted. There were two main motives for drivers engaging in bribery when they faced a threat to security, survival or threats to physiological needs. The motives were the need for protection (security), physiological needs and survival. The conclusion is that both police officers, minibus and taxi drivers are living in a corrupt subculture. What are needed to mitigate corruption are indigenous based solutions including the application of wholesome and open techniques, taxi and mini bus drivers to have a say in the governance of traffic regulations through their Associations, use of participatory social accountability techniques and use the civic education strategies.
Description
Thesis of Master of Sociology.