Ubugwelegwele obenziwa kubohulumende buchazwa ngokuthi yikusebenzisa kubi isikhundla umuntu alaso ukuze athole okuthile. Lokhu kwaqalisa ekadeni. Ngokwesibonelo, eBhayibhilini kulomlayo ophathelane lokuthi kwakungamelanga abantu bafumbathise nxa kuthethwa amacala. Lokhu kusitshengisa ukuthi eminyakeni engu-3 500 eyadlulayo, ukufumbathisa kwasekuvele kukhona. (U-Eksodusi 23:8) Kodwa ubugwelegwele abugoqeli ukufumbathisa kuphela. Kwezinye izikhathi iziphathamandla zikahulumende ezilobugwelegwele ziyantshontsha impahla, zizenzele ezikufunayo okungekho emthethweni njalo zize zintshontshe lezimali zikahulumende. Zingasebenzisa lezikhundla zazo ngendlela engaqondanga ukuze zincede abangane kanye lezihlobo.

Ubugwelegwele bungaba khona kuloba yiyiphi inhlanganiso yabantu, kodwa kukhanya angani bugcwele kakhulu kubohulumende. Inhlanganiso ebona ngamazwe alobugwelegwele okuthiwa yi-Transparency International yabika ukuthi emhlabeni wonke abantu bacabanga ukuthi izinhlanganiso ezinhlanu eziyizo ezilobugwelegwele ukwedlula zonke ngamaqembu ezombusazwe, amapholisa, iziphathamandla zikahulumende, ababeka imithetho yelizwe kanye labogatsha lwezomthetho. Ake sikhangele imibiko ethile etshengisa ukuthi ubugwelegwele buluhlupho olukhulu.

• E-AFRICA: Ngo-2013, iziphathamandla zikahulumende waseSouth Africa ezingaba yi-22 000 zetheswa amacala obugwelegwele.

• E-SOUTH AMERICA: Ngo-2012, abantu abayi-25 eBrazil babotshwa ngoba babesebenzise kubi izimali zikahulumende bekhankasela iqembu labo lezombusazwe. Phakathi kwabo kwakulothile owayeyisikhulu sikahulumende njalo isikhundla sakhe sasilandela esikamongameli.

• E-ASIA: Esigodlweni saseSouth Korea, iSeoul, kwafa abantu abayi-502 lapho kudilika isitolo esikhulu ngo-1995. Ababechwayisisa ngodaba lolu bathola ukuthi iziphathamandla zedolobho lelo zazifumbathisiwe ukuze zivumele ababesakha isitolo lesi ukuthi basebenzise izinto zokwakha ezingaqinanga lokuthi bangalandeli imithetho evikela izingozi.

• E-EUROPE: UCecilia Malmström, umphathintambo wenhlanganiso okuthiwa yi-European Commission ebona ngezindaba ezenzakala kwele-Europe wathi: “Ukugcwala kohlupho [lobugwelegwele] kwele-Europe kusitshiya sibambe owangaphansi.” Waphinda wathi “abezombusazwe bakhanya bengazimiselanga ukuqeda uhlupho lolu.”

Ubugwelegwele obenziwa kubohulumende bugxile njengempande. Usikhwicamfundo okuthiwa nguSusan Rose-Ackerman, oyingcitshi ezindabeni zokulwisana lobugwelegwele wabhala ukuthi ukubuqeda kungadinga ukuthi “kube lontshintsho olukhulu endleleni uhulumende enza ngayo ezamabhizimusi.” Lanxa kungakhanya angani izinto kazisoze zafa zantshintsha, iBhayibhili litshengisa ukuthi kuzakuba lontshintsho olukhulu sibili.