The South African government cannot afford to be corrupt when it must deliver so many services, the Public Service Commission said on Tuesday.

PSC chairman Stan Sangweni said a study showed that government made up just under a third -- at 29.6 percent -- of those who demanded and accepted bribes from the private sector.

The Business Against Crime study showed that local government accounted for 19.6 percent of this and national and provincial government for 10 percent, Sangweni said at an Anti-Corruption Day event in Pretoria.

"One wonders how much of the quality of service delivery, efficiency, economy and effectiveness, suffered as a result," he said.

"A developmental state like ours cannot afford public servants like this.

"In order to prevent and prosecute offenders like those referred to above, the state is forced to divert resources to the fight of corruption, resources which could have been used in the areas of health, education or housing."

Sangweni said that because South Africa was in a developmental phase it was reliant on getting many services from the private sector.

"This inter-face between the private and public sectors provide much fertile ground for acts of bribery and corruption, which takes money from the public purse which is sorely needed for developmental needs," he said.

"Corruption has a direct negative effect on the provision of services, particularly to the poor."

Sangweni said that for the South African public there was often a perception that ethical standards were deteriorating, whether this was the truth or not.

"These perceptions may not always be supported by the actual experiences of the public, but this potential impact on social cohesion and nation building should not be underestimated."

Sangweni said a recent study by the Office of the Auditor-General and the Public Service Commission indicated that 1678 senior managers had directorships or membership in companies or close corporations.

"Senior managers in the public service are entrusted with public funds and by implication, public trust. As such they need to maintain a high standard of professional ethics."

Sangweni said a financial disclosure framework for senior managers had been introduced, but had a worryingly low compliance rate.

However, some strides against corruption had been made.

To further these strategies, the legal framework fighting corruption needed to be looked at, along with the capacity of departments to deal with the issue.

United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon sent a statement to the event from New York.

He said the global financial crisis was "caused in part by greed and corruption (and that) confidence in the financial system has been battered".

"Another silent financial crisis afflicting the world's poorest people attracts far less attention (and that) every year across the developing world, billions of dollars that are badly needed for health care, schools, clean water and infrastructure are stolen or lost through bribes and other misdeeds."

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Southern African representative Jonathan Lucas said at the event that "the notion that corruption destroys development efforts is real".

"There are numerable side-effects of corruption; for instance, it kills trust -- in the government, public institutions and companies; it kills development - by stealing public money needed for schools, hospitals, and roads; and it steals financial prosperity -- by driving business's into the shadow economy."

City Press Editor, Khathu Mamaila, also spoke at the event about the role of the media in the fight against corruption.