State officials often take the brunt of criticism for corruption, but it takes both state actors and corporate bidders to distort procurement processes. CEO Stephen van Coller has described how he led the cleanup at IT giant EOH and why he rejects claims that corruption is just how business is done in SA.

EOH Holdings CEO Stephen van Coller has called on corporate South Africa to acknowledge its role in corruption and take a zero-tolerance approach to graft or risk losing the gains made during the democratic era and sacrificing the fight for equality.

"In some cases that I've found quite disappointing, people say, 'Well, we have to do it, it's the way that we do business, otherwise you don't get [the contract].' I think that's nonsense," Van Coller told the Zondo Commission of Inquiry on Monday.

Van Coller, a chartered accountant whose CV includes executive positions at MTN and Barclays Africa, joined the IT giant in September 2018 and led the charge against corruption after he realised what was happening at the company.

"I really want to get South African corporates to make this a big priority because otherwise we're going to lose the essence of everything we've done....