III. Recommendations 390. The APR Panel recommends that Mozambique should: • Establish merit-based recruitment into the public sector [Ministry of Public Administration]; • Improve the capacity of ISAP, SIFAP and the Training Institute for Municipal and Public Administration (IFAPA) to train more public servants [Ministry of Public Administration; ISAP; IFAPA]; • Increase significantly the LIIF and review the fund with a view to making access free from political influence [Ministry of Local Government]; and • Enhance the role of traditional rulers by providing them with enforcement capability [Ministry of Local Government]. Objective 6: To fight corruption in the political sphere I. Summary of the CSAR 391. The CSAR affirms that corruption is endemic and is widely acknowledged as a national vice in Mozambique. Studies have described corruption as a “social cancer” that is capable of destroying the very fabric of society. Corruption occurs at all levels of the structure of governance, be it national government, provincial government, district administrations, municipalities or communities. The CSAR makes a distinction between “petty” corruption, which occurs at the point of contact between public service providers and citizens, and “grand” corruption, which involves higher-ranking government officials. Petty corruption is most prevalent in the social (education and healthcare), security (traffic police) and justice sectors, whereas grand corruption is perpetrated at higher levels of government where policies are made and approvals and licences are granted. At this level, corruption is mostly manifested in the awarding of contracts and procurements, and in the conversion of project funds for personal enrichment. 392. While corrupt junior public servants can be punished for offences, corruption involving high-ranking government officials is hardly ever effectively investigated, nor are the perpetrators prosecuted. As a result, the public has become sceptical about the government’s determination to fight corruption and bring perpetrators to justice. If corruption is difficult to fight in the public sector, it is even more so in the private sector, where there seems to be no appropriate legal framework for fighting corruption. 393. Petty corruption is rife, presumably because of the low wages of public servants. Citizens are usually afraid to accuse perpetrators and serve as witnesses, because they lack confidence in the judicial process, especially as there is no system of protecting whistleblowers or witnesses. The fight against corruption is thereby undermined. In addition, the institutions established to combat cor139