A single tip off to the SARS corruption hotline had a domino effect, with a number companies flocking to the anti-corruption banner.

SARS made the initial announcement. Thanks to a tip off on its hotline, it said, it had dismissed the decision-making committee for a R10 million tender for desktop hardware. The tip off came from one of the companies bidding for the tender, which said it had been approached by an uninvolved third party promising to swing the decision in its favour. For its efforts, this third party was requesting a 2.5 percent commission of the value of the contract.

Thereafter, a number of other organisations from both the public and the private sector came forward and said they had experienced similar tender tampering attempts. More worrying, however, from the SARS perspective, were the death threats received by staff members intent on upholding the integrity of the tender process.