A total of 2,382 complaints of corruption were lodged with Corruption Watch in 2015, according to its annual report released on Wednesday.

Of those, 71% were classified as corruption per the organisation’s definition, compared to 56% the previous year, it said.

Corruption Watch defined corruption as: “The abuse of public resources or public power for personal gain.”

Since 2012, Corruption Watch has received more than 10 000 reports.

“This public activism was reflected in several events during 2015, such as the student fees protest, various anti-xenophobia and corruption marches, and other mobilisations,” it said.

“Ordinary people have come to us to report corruption – 10 573 as of the end of December 2015 – with 2 382 reported in 2015 alone.”

For a 4th year running, Gauteng topped the charts with 50% of the total reports in 2015 emanating from the province.

However, Corruption Watch said this did not mean that Gauteng was the most corrupt province.

“Firstly, we have a larger number of reports from this province partly because of the work that Corruption Watch has done with Johannesburg metro police and the Gauteng department of education,” it said in the report.

All national departments were also based in Pretoria.

“Lastly, Gauteng is the most populous province in the country with over 13 million people calling it home.”

Gauteng was followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 12%, Eastern Cape with 7%, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Western Cape with 6%, North west 5% and Northern Cape with 2%.

The report showed that corruption hotspots in 2015 were schools which were 16% of all reports, traffic and licensing 12% and immigration, housing and healthcare at 6%, 5% and 3% respectively.

In previous years, abuse of power made up the bulk of corruption reports at 38%, followed by bribery at 20%, and procurement corruption at 14% of the total, said Corruption watch.

In the report Corruption Watch chairperson Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane said: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”